The Immortal Hero: Phoenix
by Phoenix Izuka
Summary: 9 Year Old Quirkless Girl Izuka Midoriya is kidnapped by villains and held captive for a year. Saved by All-Might, Izuka is discovered to have a Quirk that gives her the power of a Phoenix, including returning to life after being killed. With All-Might and the U.A Teachers guiding her, Izuka will become not just the Symbol of Peace, but the first Immortal Hero!
1. From the Ashes

**IMPORTANT:**

 **Several Warnings before we go: mostly canon levels of violence with a few scenes depicting blood and gore, though not gratuitous or described in depth. Also mentions of Child Abuse in the early chapters.**

 **In this story, Izuka Midoriya (Fem!Izuku) will be very overpowered. A Part of the theme of the story is how she surpasses All-Might and becomes an Eternal Hero, so expect her to be very powerful, though not invincible.**

 **Expect new chapters every couple of days!**

 **This Story has been inspired by Yokai Hero: Dekiru by StarDekiru and Tameshi-Beginnings by The_Fluffy_Villain_Fluff_Master**

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 **The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 1: From the Ashes**

Toshinori Yagi, better known as the Number 1 Hero All-Might, sat in a Hospital Room, his entire left side covered in bandages and a dull ache in his lungs and stomach. To be honest, he had nothing to complain about; just a few hours ago, he was certain he was going to die from a wound inflicted by his Arch-Nemesis, All for One. But now he was alive, permanently weakened but not crippled, and All for One was cold ash, all because of the little girl lying in the bed beside him.

Toshinori looked over to the other bed, a growing sadness in his dark eyes as he watched the sleeping girl. Izuka Midoriya… 10 years old. She was dangerously thin and a fair bit shorter than most children her age, with a cute freckled face and soft green curls that had been rather roughly cut into a short style that just barely reached her shoulders. When she had been awake, Toshinori had marvelled at the sparkling green eyes, shining with hope despite the awful situation she had been in.

Exactly one year ago, on July 15th, Izuka's 9th Birthday, the girl had been kidnapped by a Villain in the employ of All for One. Izuka hadn't been the intended target, but had saved the real target Katsuki Bakugou, by pushing him away from the Warp Gate, only to be taken herself. Her kidnapping had sent the country on a manhunt for the Villain that took her, especially since the unique black warp gate had been associated with the disappearance of many other individuals, all with unique and interesting Quirks. It was that fact that caused All-Might to take a special interest, suspecting All for One's hand in the crimes. When he had gone to ask Inko Midoriya, Izuka's mother, about her Daughter's quirk, All-Might had learned she was quirkless and his heart had nearly stopped. If she had no Quirk to steal and had not been returned, it made it very unlikely she would ever be found alive and made it less likely that the other kidnapped individuals would ever be seen again. All-Might had added Izuka's death to the crimes committed by All for One, and it fuelled his furious search alongside the murder of his mentor, Nana Shimura.

Then finally, one week ago, they had finally caught a break in their search. A lesser known Pro Hero by the name of Clementine Man was kidnapped (his quirk gave him several orange-themed abilities such as growing peels for protection, producing and controlling orange juice in a bizarre form of Hydro-kinesis and creating a calming smell). He had been one of the heroes helping the search and had managed to hide a tracker inside himself, allowing the Heroes to pinpoint the location of All for One's base. Then finally, on July 15th a year after Izuka's abduction, All-Might had assembled a team (really a small army) of the best Pro Heroes and Police Officers and attacked the base, which turned out to be a laboratory in the mountains. All-Might, leading a team consisting of Eraserhead, Midnight, Power Loader, Endeavor, Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye had been the first to infiltrate the lab.

To the shock of everyone, they had found Izuka alive but with a glassy look in her eye, like she had given up all hope. All for One mocked the Heroes for failing, but just as the Warp Gate Villain was about to take Izuka away while All for One attacked, Eraserhead had temporarily erased All for One's quirks (saving Power Loader's life) and pulling Izuka away from the villains. The rest of the fight became a blur of action and quirks. All for One unleashed strange mutant creatures that kept the Heroes busy while All-Might and All for One battled one on one. In the end, the Mutants were killed, the Heroes were left battered, bruised and unconscious and both All-Might and All for One were left mortally wounded and glaring at each other.

It was at that moment that All-Might nearly lost hope; little Izuka crawled out of the rubble and All for One ordered her to kill All-Might, his cruel voice telling her that all her suffering was his fault, that if All-Might was dead, she wouldn't hurt any more. Toshinori's lungs and stomach were basically shredded and he barely had the breath to whisper, telling Izuka that everything would be alright, that her mother was waiting for her to come home and that even if he died, he'd be happy if she was safe.

And then Toshinori Yagi saw the one thing in his life he'd never forget. That little Quirkless girl summoned up a fire and with a beautiful light returning to her once hopeless eyes, she had smiled at him; "I want to be a Hero!" she declared and spun around, unleashing her flames on All for One. There wasn't even a scream; just a look of pure disbelief as All for One was reduced to ashes. Izuka had then fallen to her knees beside All-Might and sobbed, finally crying out all her suppressed feelings from the past year. Toshinori gently took her hand, feeling his life slowly slipping away. If he died without passing on his Quirk; One for All, then it would die with him, so he had swallowed his reservations and gently lifted his bloody hand and pushed a finger to Izuka's lips. He felt it when a single drop of blood passed between her lips and felt his Quirk react, signifying it had been passed on.

"Live, young Midoriya, and become a Hero; my successor and the new Symbol of Peace! Talk to Gran Torino, he'll help you. Goodbye, my dear girl." he had choked out, his breathing becoming harsh and shallow.

But Izuka Midoriya had to surprise him yet again. She had screamed her refusal to let her Saviour die and conjured up those same flames, this time with an oddly cute pink hue. She pushed the flames into his wound and the pain caused Toshinori to pass out completely. When he awoke, he was in hospital, in a bed in the same room as Izuka and the other injured Heroes.

Sir Nighteye was the first to come and speak to him; "All-Might! Thank goodness you're alright! I-I saw your death and thought for certain this fight would be the end!"

"I am alright… What happened? I was certain I'd die myself!" All-Might admitted. He wasn't in his muscle form any more, his hair hung more limply and he wasn't as muscular as he should be even in his normal form, but aside from the bandages, he looked like a fairly average fit and healthy man.

"Recovery Girl said that something caused your lungs and stomach to regenerate, though you have become a bit anaemic and lost some muscle mass. She says you'll only be able to safely use about 75% of your old power, but considering the alternative… what the hell happened?" Nighteye replied.

"It was the child! She has a Quirk; one revolving around flames. Her flames killed All for One and healed me." Toshinori answered.

That had caused Sir Nighteye to pull a strange face and leave, promising to return after helping the police go other the remains of All for One's laboratory. The other Pro Heroes gradually awoke and left to return to their agencies, though Gran Torino and Eraserhead stuck around at the request of Nighteye. Inko Midoriya had appeared not long later and sobbed her heart out as she profusely thanked the heroes for saving her baby girl. When she learned her daughter had a Quirk, Inko was shocked but upon learning she'd used it to save All-Might's life, she had smiled and hadn't left Izuka's side since. Recovery Girl had reported that aside from malnutrition and a touch of Anaemia, Izuka seemed to be in perfect health.

Now Toshinori was just sitting around, waiting for the little one to awaken so he could reveal what he'd done. Gran Torino, Inko Midoriya and Sir Nighteye had all been irritated by his giving his Quirk to Izuka, but they understood his reasons. It wasn't until Noon the next day that All-Might learned he wasn't the only one who'd done such a thing.

Toshinori, Inko and Aizawa were eating a light lunch around Izuka's bed when Gran Torino, Sir Nighteye, Agent Nest from the Government, Recovery Girl and Principal Nezu all came in with serious expressions on their faces.

"What's wrong?" Toshi asked worriedly.

Agent Nest held up a small tablet computer. "We were able to recover a lot of files from the remains of the computers in the Villain Base. A lot of files pertain to something that All for One called Project Phoenix… the subject of the project was Izuka Midoriya."

"No! What did that monster do to my baby!?" Inko screamed, hugging the unconscious girl.

Nest, a plain looking man in a black suit, with black feathers in place of hair, frowned and reluctantly pulled up some files. "I will read some of All for One's entries… he was nothing if not meticulous in preserving his thoughts. However, a lot of this is highly disturbing."

"We need to know." Toshinori said seriously.

"Very well. I will read in order; the first entry was July 15th 2045." Nest stated and began reading.

 _Project Phoenix_

 _Entry #001: July 15th 2045_

 _The Abduction of Katsuki Bakugou failed due to unforeseen circumstances, so the acquisition of the Explosion Quirk will have to wait, however the failure has resulted in a far greater prize._

 _Izuka Midoriya, Age 9. She was captured when she pushed our target away from Kurogiri's Warp Gate, only to be caught herself. I examined her and discovered her to be Quirkless, so ordered her disposed off. Kurogiri took pity on her and instead of allowing Tomura to decay her, he shot her in the head with a pistol. Death was instantaneous._

Inko screamed in horror, "T-They murdered my baby!? How is this possible!?"

"I'm about to get to that." Nest answered patiently. He knew it must be hard to hear of her child being murdered.

 _After the child was terminated, a Noumu was ordered to dispose of the body, but after a sudden flash of light, the child was resurrected and the bullet wound was gone. After a quick scan, it was discovered the bullet had also vanished completely. I re-examined her and discovered that her death had triggered the awakening of her quirk, which I have codenamed: Phoenix. It allowed her to return to life after death and, to my disappointment, I was unable to take it._

 _It seems that the Quirk is so tightly bound to the child's DNA and Spirit that my own Quirk can recognise it as a Quirk, but not remove it, much like One for All. I have begun work on plans for a new project dubbed Project Phoenix. We can't dispose of the girl, release her or take her Quirk, so we'll just have to convert her to our side._

"Impossible… a Resurrection Quirk! How can such a thing exist?" Toshinori asked, the only one left that could still formulate words despite the shock.

"This isn't the first Quirk that defies death. The Government currently has nineteen similar cases documented world wide, with two in Japan alone… well, three now I suppose." Nest answered.

"S-So Izuka can comeback to life after being killed? Is it one time only?" Inko asked fearfully.

Nest shook his head; "No. All for One… he was very thorough in stress testing her quirk."

"N-No! Oh my god, he didn't…?"

"I'm afraid so. The next month's worth of entries are… highly detailed descriptions of these tests. I won't go into the gory details, but from his tests, All for One discovered she could resurrect from asphyxiation, drowning, blood loss, terminal disease, massive bodily trauma, poison, starvation, dehydration and… and incineration, disintegration and melting. Nothing can permanently kill her."

Inko dashed for a trash bin and promptly vomited between horrified screams and tears. What horrendous torture had that evil creature put her daughter through!? Aizawa awkwardly rubbed her back, his own face looking deathly pale. Recovery Girl was gripping her walking cane with whitening knuckles, Nezu's fur was beginning to stand up from rage, Sir Nighteye looked at the unconscious girl with pity and Gran Torino was focused solely on Toshinori…

The Number One Hero was FURIOUS. No single word could truly express the sheer depth of his anger and hatred and despite all his chivalry, a tiny bit of Toshinori couldn't help but viciously think that All for One got what he deserved, being incinerated by the very person he had tortured. Volcanic Rage and Arctic Hatred mixed with grim satisfaction within him.

"If it makes it better at all, it seems Izuka was a very strong willed little girl. She resisted his every attempt to brainwash her. Here, I'll read more entries." Nest began, turning his attention back to the files.

 _Entry #027 July 29th 2045_

 _Project Phoenix proved to be an appropriate name for my current work. I attempted to repeat the Incineration Stress Test today, as punishment for the Child's defiance, but the flames did nothing. No flame of any heat or intensity seems to affect her any more. On further analysis it seems her Quirk is more than Resurrection, but a true representation of a Phoenix's power. Through scans with various Quirks, I have identified that the Phoenix Quirk has multiple facets; Resurrection, Flame Immunity, Creation and Control, Flight via the creation of wings of fire and Healing through the use of Pink Flames. The Pink Flames heal wounds by consuming blood from the patient and/or the Child herself to fuel the healing flames. She can heal herself if need be. I may need to research her family bloodline._

 _On the topic of her actual resurrection, I have made a few observations that have proven consistent throughout; 1. Cause of Death has no effect on the Quirk. 2. It is apparently a mandatory resurrection; multiple times the child seemed disappointed and sad to be revived, implying she may have resisted. 3. Resurrection always takes precisely 200 seconds, regardless of the body's condition. 4. When the 200 second elapses, whatever is left of her body flashes white and she reappears in perfect condition. 5. After revival, any blood she lost is replenished, but blood spilled remains where it is, allowing us to use her as an infinite supply of blood and as she is blood type O, her blood is highly compatible with others. Oddly, while removed blood remains after resurrection, actual flesh and organs disappear. It appears blood, saliva, hair and nails are the only things that can be removed and STAY removed when she is killed and revived. This needs further study._

"That's why both she and I were Anaemic! She used my blood to heal me and then when she didn't dare take more, she used her own! I'd wager if there had been more blood, I'd be in perfect condition." Toshinori exclaimed.

"Oh, it gets better." Nest continued.

 _Entry # 29 July 30th 2045_

 _My research has paid off. The Child is the failed offspring of a Quirk Marriage between Hisashi Kintaro and Inko Midoriya, instigated by the former. Medical records show her birth was wrought with complications and left her mother unable to bear another child, so when the Child was falsely diagnosed as Quirkless, the father left the family. Hisashi Kintaro bears the quirk "Salamander Evolution" a hybrid of his mother's fire quirk and his father's "Auto Evolution". It seems the Kintaro family are Quirk Supremacists and their Quirk evolves other quirks they come into contact with through procreation. Salamander Evolution provided Hisashi with fire breath stronger than his mother's own quirk thanks to the Evolution aspect, but little else._

 _Inko Midoriya's Quirk is a fairly simple telekinesis quirk. The combination of a Fire Quirk, Psychic Quirk and Evolution Quirk has somehow mutated and combined into the Phoenix Quirk. It was a one in a million chance, but it seems the Child beat the odds._

 _In addition, each subsequent death seems to cause the Child to evolve a little bit to resist the cause of her previous death. By repeatedly drowning and starving her, we have discovered the Child can now go without air for 30 minutes before losing consciousness and 45 minutes before death, and she can last two weeks without water and three months without food, at least according to my current estimations. Poisons are also less effective and it has become near-impossible to infect her with diseases. Even highly infectious ones such as HIV and Tuberculosis have proven ineffective. This doesn't seem to extend to physical trauma however; her body remains as vulnerable to physical blows as ever though her Pain Tolerance is increasing._

 _Regardless, I have the information I need and can bring Phase I of Project Phoenix to a close. Now it is time to move on Phase II._

Nest skipped over most of the next few entries, which were focused on attempts at re-educating poor Izuka and forcing her to train her Quirks by healing herself and fighting creatures called "Noumus"

 _Entry #089 September 22nd 2045_

 _The Child continues to resist the mental conditioning. She obeys each and every order given, but when ordered to inflict harm on another, she refuses and never willingly accepts the Ideology lessons. Kurogiri reports her schooling is going well, and Tomura seems to enjoy playing with her, but no matter what we do, she resists! Punishment quells her spirit, but doesn't break it; her resistance just becomes less vocal. I have even tried to give her rewards; presents, toys, clothes, nice food and even a proper room to replace the Dog Crate and still she resists. She thanks me for every gift but never gives in! It may be time to move beyond education and into brainwashing._

By this point, Inko had finally calmed down enough to leave the trash bin and return to her Daughter's side; Aizawa standing close by in case he needed to help her again. "The villains researched me and my ex-husband?"

"It appears so. Miss Midoriya, what can you tell us about this? The Quirk Marriage I mean." Sir Nighteye asked politely.

Inko looked down sadly; "I didn't know that was what Hisashi wanted at first. We dated for a bit and he said he'd fallen in love with me. After only a few months he proposed. I never knew he was connected to the Kintaro company as he insisted on using my name, though he never changed it legally. I suppose it was so I couldn't get any of his money after we divorced; not that I wanted it. I work quite happily as a Personal Assistant at a Law Firm."

"Forgive me, Miss Midoriya, but I did a bit of digging of my own after I first saw these files. You are still receiving monetary support from the Kintaro Group." Nest pointed out.

"Ah, that's because of my former brother-in-law; Haru. He's Hisashi's older brother and the current CEO of the Kintaro Group. His Quirk was actually "Dragon Evolution", a more advanced version of Hisashi's, which is the real reason he's head of the company. Hisashi wanted to create a stronger child than his brother to convince his father to choose him over Haru. I've only ever seen and spoken to him through Video Chats, but he adores Izuka and pays child support in his brother's stead. I tried to talk him out of it, but he's stubborn. His Quirk lets him fly and control fire too, but instead of Resurrection and Healing, he can grow horns and scales." Inko explained. "Now, what was this about brainwashing?"

Nest smirked; "Your daughter was a very annoying subject for All for One. Here, this is the entry that best describes it."

 _Entry # 213 April 22nd 2046_

 _The moment it seems we're making progress with Phoenix, a new complication arises! It took six months to finally find a Mind Control Quirk that her will couldn't break through immediately and results were promising! I was even able to order her to actually harm one of the animals I brought in for the tests! But the moment I ordered her to kill it, something snapped and I felt my control break away, and the girl had the nerve to cut her own wrist to heal the creature! I murdered the thing to teach her a lesson, but even after I repeated the test, she still healed the damage she'd done even knowing I'd kill it._

 _It seems we have hit a wall. No matter what, she will not kill. I had hoped stripping her of her name and dubbing her Phoenix would have enough of a Psychological effect to weaken her resistance, but it seems that plan has fallen through. I'd capture her parents to force her compliance, but the Heroes are sniffing around her mother and the Bakugou family, and she doesn't seem to care about her father._

"Izuka always was such a sweet child… I can't tell you how many times she came home with bumps and bruises from standing up for other children." Inko said, a fond smile on her face as she petted her child's hair. Izuka mewled in her sleep and leaned into the touch; likely the first pleasant touch she'd had in a year.

Toshinori smiled at the display and turned back to Nest; "Are there many more entries of note?"

"Only three. One is fairly distressing, but will help us get a grasp on her mental state when she awakens. The second has something to do with another Quirk, something All for One gave her, and the third answers questions as to what happened to Clementine Man." Nest replied.

"Alright. Miss Midoriya, do you think you're up to hearing more? We can go to another room if you'd rather not." Toshi asked.

Inko gave him a grateful smile; "Thank you, Mr All-Might, but I need to hear this. If it can help me help my little girl, I want to know."

Nest nodded in agreement and continued.

 _Entry #223 April 29th 2046_

 _Finally some success in the Control Program! Phoenix has a childish idea of importance, so when given an ultimatum of two lives to save, she'll always pick the one she deems most important and kill the other. We introduced two subjects; a rabbit and captured homeless woman. At first, she put up the usual resistance; hurting them under the influence of my Mind Control, but snapping free before killing them. However, after being told that I would kill both subjects unless she killed one of them, her will broke enough that I was able to force her to kill the rabbit via Mind Control._

 _She still fails to kill Humans regardless of threats to herself and others, and won't even kill animals without the Mind Control but progress is finally being made. It seems the cause of her rebellion is a sort of Mental Defence she has built for herself… a kind of metaphorical fortress within her mind that she retreats to in order to preserve her sanity and morality. If I can break this fortress, the girl will fall apart and I will be able to control her completely!_

 _With this, I have decided to allow Kurogiri to continue work on Phase II with some help from Tomura while I move on to Phase III._

Nest stopped the reading and turned to Recovery Girl; "Do you think this mental defence will help Izuka in her recovery?"

The Elderly Heroine nodded; "I wouldn't be surprised if this was a side effect of her Phoenix Quirk's Survival based Evolution. If her Quirk interpreted her failing mental state as a damaging weakness, it may have helped her create the Mind Fortress to protect herself. Still, my grasp on Psychology is intermediate at best; we'll need a real expert."

"I can arrange for that. I have an old friend who is very good; I know from experience." Nezu smiled. The Mouse Principal felt a kinship with the poor child, for he too had been kept and abused as part of a cruel experiment.

Nest made a note of the Principal's statement and continued, "This is were we move on to what Phase III is; a focus on the Evolution aspect of her Quirk."

 _Entry #245 May 11th 2046_

 _Work on the "Link Evolution" Quirk has officially been completed and the testing on the Noumus has proven it effective. Getting Phoenix to go along with the process was much simpler now that Phase II is nearing completion; I have taken to keeping her permanently under Mind Control. By blending together quirks designed to "link" two or more individuals together and quirks similar to my own that allow one to use another's quirk, I have been able to create a custom quirk that can create a mental link between the user and any number of participants. The person at the centre of the link can use the Quirks of the linked individuals, though to a lesser degree and as a side effect, all those involved in the Link can communicate telepathically, likely thanks to the telepathy quirk that I used as a base._

 _Upon introducing the Link Quirk to Phoenix, it blended with her namesake quirk and picked up the Evolution aspect, just as I hoped! Now, in addition to Phoenix being able to temporarily use the Quirks of those she links to, those linked have their Quirks "evolve" to improved versions! Linking with Kurogiri has increased the range he can make warp gates as well as the number, and Tomura is now able to control his Decay Quirk's activation and has been able to release the quirk from his feet in addition to his hands._

 _There are limits however; the Evolved Quirk requires much more stamina to use if going beyond the original limits and while the Quirk will evolve more the longer the link is held, after a while, we reach a breaking point where the Quirk will cease to grow stronger. The only other limitation is for Phoenix herself; each additional person she links to doubles the stress on her body. We were able to link her to 32 Noumus before her body went into critical failure because of the stress. Maximum safe range seems to be three to five people, more than that and stress begins to weaken her. Overall Phase III is nearing completion and we will soon begin on Phase IV_

The Pro Heroes in the room gawked at the Agent and then turned to the still sleeping child. This girl was immortal, could control fire, fly, survive hostile environments for longer than most, heal others and now she could link with people to speak telepathically, borrow their quirks and even permanently upgrade them! And now she also had One for All...

"Thank god that she wants to be a hero so badly!" Toshinori said, slouching in his bed from sheer relief; "If All for One had succeeded in making her a villain, we'd be toast! It looks like I picked a really great successor!"

"All-Might is correct; if more Villains like All for One appear, we'll need Izuka's power. Miss Midoriya, I know your child wants to be a hero and this may be highly selfish of us to ask, but will you please do everything in your power to encourage this dream?" Nest asked, bowing his head to the woman.

Inko frowned, "I-I want to, I really do. Izuka has loved heroes since she was old enough to toddle about and even her baby talk was full of words like "All-Might"… it's the only dream she's ever had and it was crushed when we thought she was Quirkless… but I can't forget what's been done to her! She's been hurt so much, all because someone wanted to use her power. I won't let anyone else do the same; Hero or Villain!"

Shota Aizawa, better known as Eraserhead, stepped forward; "I agree with you, Miss Midoriya. We shouldn't go using her, which is why I wanted to offer my own idea. All-Might is going to have to spend time training her anyway, so she is able to use One for All properly, so why don't we offer her a sort of Junior Hero Apprenticeship? She can see what real Hero work is like from a safe distance under the guidance of All-Might and the U.A Heroes. It'll give her the training she needs, let her see what our line of work is like and if she chooses to really pursue Heroism, she has a job opportunity right out of the gate."

Nezu nodded; "That is a wonderful idea. I am a teacher, but as Principal of U.A, I don't get to actually directly teach students much, so I can take on the role of her academic tutor and also as a sympathetic ear if she wants to talk about her experiences with someone who understands. Toshinori, Gran Torino and Nighteye can train her to safely use One for All and give her a chance to see some Hero work. Aizawa can give her a sneak peak at the U.A Hero course and Recovery Girl can oversee her training in using her Healing Quirk safely."

"If it makes you feel even more secure, I can talk to my superiors in the Government." Nest added; "With so many Heroes on side and with how important her powers are, as well as the Media attention this rescue will bring, I can convince the higher-ups to make an agreement to allow Izuka to live her life as she wishes, so long as she doesn't turn to villainy of course."

"You'll all really protect my baby?" Inko asked, tearing up.

"Of course! It is a shame for us Heroes that it took us a whole year to save Izuka, and she was the only one of the missing individuals to be recovered alive… we won't let anything bad happen to her again!" Toshinori declared, doing his best to look heroic despite his injuries.

"Then I suppose I have no choice… but it's Izuka's decision! If she decides not to be a Hero for whatever reason, you have to accept that." Inko said, hugging the girl to her.

With that, Nest read the last entry of importance, regarding the fate of Clementine Man.

 _Entry #294 July 3rd 2046_

 _Phase II had another setback today. Since Phase III was completed and we're preparing to begin Phase IV, I decided to assist Kurogiri and had him capture a Pro Hero; speficially a bizarre man named Clementine Man. His Quirk was interesting, but ultimately useless for my goals so I allowed him to keep it and used Mind Control to force Phoenix and the Hero to fight._

 _The Hero's will was nowhere near as powerful as Phoenix's and he moved in for the kill as soon as I ordered. Still, he was unable to really put up a fight against Phoenix; she may lack any degree of combat skill, but her fire power and healing has made her a worthy opponent for these D-list heroes._

 _Unfortunately, it was another failure. I released the control on the Hero so he could try and make excuses for himself, but Phoenix resisted the control and ignored my order to kill him. My control has grown strong enough that she can't break it, but she still seems able to ignore a killing order! However, there was almost an incident when the Hero grabbed the girl and seemed to hug her. I'm certain he said something to her, because his actions broke my control on Phoenix. Tomura killed the fool before I could interrogate him and Phoenix won't say what he told her, though I suspect it's related to the talk of a Pro-Hero team looking for her. No matter, we searched the Hero carefully and he had no tracker on him, so the chances of us being discovered are nil._

"HA! Cocky bastard didn't think a "D-list Hero" would think to hide the tracker inside his own body. Clementine Man's death is tragic, but he managed to save a child's life even in death! I salute you!" Gran Torino said, pointing a hand to the heavens.

After a moment of silence for the departed hero (Nest made a note to arrange an appropriate funeral and compensation for his family) they continued on to the final bits of information.

"Obviously by these files, All for One had several phases planned for this Project Phoenix. Phase I was testing her quirk, Phase II was mental conditioning and brainwashing, Phase III was the Link Evolution experiment, but what about Phase IV? And was there more beyond that?" Aizawa asked.

"It seems there were five phases. Phase IV was set to begin in the next week and would have revolved around live training exercises. In other words, All for One would have sent Izuka out with Villains in his employ to have her wreak havoc. Phase V was full implementation and would likely have been All for One using her for whatever plan he'd cooked up. The actual details on these phases are limited and the only data we have is that there were three planned attacks; All-Might's Hero Agency, U.A High School and the Centre of Government in Tokyo. Names of several villains are attached, such as Muscular, Innsmouth, Kurogiri and several Noumu with different serial numbers. However, most of the Noumu were killed and All for One has been declared dead after Izuka incinerated him, so I doubt these plans have a chance of continuing. All the same, we're keeping an eye out for Kurogiri and Tomura Shigaraki." Nest stated.

The group nodded in understanding, and with nothing left to be said, Nest decided to return to his office to continue his work and Sir Nighteye had to return to his own Agency to ensure everything was fine there, leaving Gran Torino, Toshinori, Aizawa, Nezu and Recovery Girl to stay with the Midoriyas. They settled into quiet conversation, mostly centred around getting Izuka the help she would need, when finally, at around 7pm, the girl began to stir.

Izuka blearily opened her eyes, fighting to shake off the best sleep she'd had in a year. The others held their breath as Inko gently helped her daughter sit up while Gran Torino rushed to get a glass of water.

"M-Mommy?" Izuka croaked out, unsure of her voice and what she was seeing.

"It's me baby. You're safe now, we're in hospital and then we'll finally take you home." Inko smiled, happy tears pooling in her eyes.

"Is this real? It's not a dream right?" Izuka asked fearfully.

"It is real, little one. You are safe and soon, all this will be a distant memory." Toshinori comforted her as Gran Torino lifted a glass to her lips. Izuka tentatively sipped at the clear liquid, but upon finding it was water, she greedily gulped it down, drinking four glasses before finally being sated enough.

"Mommy, are you okay?" the child asked, cuddling into her mother's side.

"I am now that you're here sweetheart." her mother smiled.

Izuka giggled sweetly and turned to the others in the room. "I 'member you." she said, looking at Aizawa, "You stopped Kurogiri from taking me 'way. Thank you Mr Eraserhead."

Aizawa gave one of his rare smiles and ruffled the girl's curls. "No problem kid. Happy you're back with us."

The child turned her attention to Gran Torino and Nezu; "Sorry, I don't think I know you… thank you for helping me though!"

"It's fine child. We aren't well known and truthfully, I was only part of organising the rescue, not a participant. We are just happy you could be brought home safe and sound." Nezu replied, waving her off. Izuka giggled and after Nezu got closer, she petted his fur, making the Mouse Principal chuckle and pat her hand. Gran Torino just smiled and nudged Toshinori forward.

The moment Izuka's eyes fell on him, they went from shining to impossibly sparkly, like an entire galaxy was contained solely in her eyes. "All-Might! Are you okay? Did my healing work?"

"It did. I am alive thanks to you; I owe you my thanks!" Toshi smiled widely, his best and most earnest smile on display.

"It's okay, I really wanted to help you! Sensei, I mean, All for One..." Izuka shuddered, "He really hated you. He kept saying that me and Tomura were gonna kill you… he said Heroes were bad, but I didn't believe him."

All-Might patted the girl's back; "Well done my dear. You were very brave to stand up to him. You'll make a great Hero, if you want to be one."

Izuka's eyes shone brighter, then dulled for a moment. "Mr All-Might, can someone like me be a Hero… even if I hurt people? I didn't mean to! Sen- I mean, All for One made me do it! But still… I hurt people and animals, and I killed some animals even though I didn't want to… and… and I killed All for One. Can I still be a Hero after that?"

All-Might sighed and sat down on her bed, taking one of her hands in his own. "Killing is always a difficult thing. Because it's against the law, many consider it evil and in many cases, that's right. However, Heroism is not always as glamorous and clean as it is on TV. Most Heroes have been forced to kill a Villain in dire situations or even just by accident. I'd wager every Hero in this room has taken a life, even if they didn't want to."

Each one nodded, even Nezu and Recovery Girl and all looked sympathetic to her feelings. All-Might continued; "As awful as it is to be forced to take a life, sometimes it is the only thing you can do to protect many others. If All for One had lived, I would certainly have died and the other Heroes on the scene who were injured might have been killed too. You, my girl, are a little Hero who was forced to make a horrible choice because of the failures of adults, both my failures and the Villains. But the fact you feel guilt for killing All for One, even after everything he did to you, proves that you are as far from a bad person as you can get. I promise you, Izuka Midoriya, that if you truly wish to be you can become a Hero!"

Izuka began to tear up, sniffling and hiccuping as she squeezed her mom's and All-Might's hands. "Y-You know what he did? About my quirks?"

"Yes, Sweetheart. We know what happened and we're here for you. You don't need to be brave and bear it all by yourself any more." Inko smiled, tears spilling over and down her cheeks.

In a flash, Izuka let go of her emotions and a whole year of pain, sadness and fear overwhelmed her and the poor child burst into heartbroken tears. She threw herself into her mother's embrace and cried her little heart out. "Mommy! It was really scary, and it hurt so much! I kept being killed and-and I didn't want to come back again! I just wanted to stay asleep! I wanted to come home!" she cried.

The Heroes felt misty eyes as they watched mother and daughter crying in each other's embrace, both sobbing out all the negative feelings that had come as a result of their separation. Still, despite the tears, everyone was happy that the family was back together.

Izuka was finally home, and could begin to truly heal.


	2. Families Old and New

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 2: Families Old and New**

It was decided that despite Izuka being almost in perfect health physically, she was to remain in hospital for a few more days just to ensure there were no problems that the Doctors had missed. Izuka didn't mind too much, but she was rather afraid of any doctor that came towards her with a syringe or anything that looked remotely like surgical tools. All-Might, officially introducing himself to the Midoriyas as Toshinori Yagi, remained in the Hospital too while the Doctors decided if he'd need any medication to help with his new weakness. In his Muscle Form, All-Might was as powerful as ever, though he found it a bit harder to maintain it, but in his normal form he had slimmed down. He was still very fit and athletic, but his build appeared leaner and less muscular.

Izuka was also remaining in hospital until after she'd had her first Psyche Exam, and to get new accommodations prepared for her since her story had broken in the Media.

The Story of Izuka Midoriya, kidnapped child whom was recovered a year later was a massive story, with the public pouring attention into the news. The story was edited to give credit for the Villain's demise to All-Might (done at Inko Midoriya's request) and news of Izuka's quirks were kept completely confidential, edited down to a Fire and Healing quirk. Her saving All-Might's life WAS left in the story though and the general public were practically trampling over each other to praise her. The Government had opened a small fund to help the Midoriya family through the stressful time and the Public had donated so much money that Inko had to hire an accountant to help deal with it, and an entire office at the local government office had been converted to a screening room for letters and gifts sent to the family.

Saving the Number One Hero was a big deal it seems.

Of course, Izuka didn't seem to care much; she was just so happy to be home, and on the second day of her Hospital stay, things got better when the Bakugou family came to visit.

Izuka had just finished her breakfast, which she spent listening to stories from All-Might and her mother, when she heard a loud and very familiar voice.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY! MY FRIEND IS IN THERE!" screamed a youthful male followed by a sandy haired ten year old boy charging into the room, quickly followed by a pair of doctors and a young couple with similar features to the boy.

"Kacchan!" Izuka yelled, joyful tears spilling from her eyes. She hopped out of bed and ran towards the boy.

Katsuki Bakugou, better known as Kacchan by Izuka, grinned and met the girl halfway, capturing her in a tight hug. "DEKU! Er, I mean, Izuka!"

Izuka giggled, "It's okay, you can call me Deku! I'm so happy you're okay! After what the villains said, I was afraid they'd come for you again!"

Katsuki's grin turned into a sad smile, "Damn Deku… no quirk and yet you still saved my ass." he muttered, a long standing pain lacing his words.

Mitsuki Bakugou, Katsuki's mother, knelt down and hugged the two children while Masaru, his father, stroked the girl's hair. "Izuka, that creepy feathered guy Nest told us everything that happened. He said you'd need support from Katsuki, so we had to be told."

The usually strong and fiery woman broke down in tears; "You silly child… you saved my baby's life. If they'd taken him, he'd have lost his quirk and been killed, or turned into one of those freaks. But you saved him, even though you got tortured… I'm sorry I didn't keep a better eye on you two, but thank you so much for saving my boy!"

Izuka smiled tearfully, remembering the day she was taken. As it was her birthday, her mother had asked Mitsuki and Katsuki to take her to the park while she prepared the party. Mitsuki had gotten distracted talking to some work friends and Katsuki had ditched her to play with some boys from their Elementary School. By the time anyone noticed that a Warp Gate was opening beneath Kacchan, Izuka had already pushed him away and been taken in his place. By the looks on the Bakugous' faces; none of the family had forgiven themselves for letting it happen.

"It's okay Auntie! It-It was scary and it hurt a lot, but I'm still alive and I'm home now! Even with an amazing quirk like his, Kacchan would have gotten killed." Izuka said, trying her best to cheer up the family.

Katsuki frowned a bit, but shoved down the brief flare of jealousy and irritation. He had matured over the year Izuka had been held captive, but he still felt annoyed when his weakness was pointed out, even in the polite way Izuka had. "So that Nest guy was telling the truth? You have Quirks now?"

Izuka nodded; "Yeah, Phoenix, Link Evolution and another one." she replied, looking to All-Might for confirmation on if it was okay to tell.

Toshinori smiled; "Don't worry my girl, Nest informed me that he was telling the Bakugous everything. Your mother and I agreed to it and thought it'd make a nice surprise! Your birthday was the day you were rescued, so we thought you'd like a late party!"

The little girl beamed and hugged him, then ran to hug her mother before returning to Kacchan.

Katsuki smirked, "So, now we can be a Hero team together after all."

"Yeah! With a Quirk, I can be a real Hero!" Izuka cheered, only for Katsuki to shake his head.

"N-No, that's not what I meant." he cut her off, blushing a bit. "You saved my life, even though you didn't have a Quirk… and even when I picked on you and ditched you for being Quirkless. I was acting like a villain, or at least a bad guy, and yet you still saved me. So yeah, even if you didn't have a Quirk, I'd still say you're a Hero." Katsuki mumbled. He was the most embarrassed he'd ever been in his life, but after everything Izuka went through because of him, both before and after being kidnapped, he would endure it.

Inko smiled warmly at the scene. In the year Izuka was gone, Katsuki frequently came over to help her out and had confessed the bullying he had done. Izuka being kidnapped to save him had deeply hurt Katsuki and the guilt nearly tore him apart. He was still surly, foul-mouthed and quick to turn violent, but his anger was now tempered by a bit of restraint, and he had moved from being a bully to a genuinely good, if rude, person. She had been there when the Bakugous were told about what happened to Izuka and Katsuki had burst into angry tears as the torture and repeated death and brainwashing was reported. He had sworn an oath to Inko right on the spot, swearing on his life that he'd protect Izuka forever.

Izuka cried happily at finally being acknowledged by Kacchan; he was the one whose approval and acknowledgement she wanted the most, even more than All-Might and her Mom. To finally receive it made her happier than she could ever remember. The two children hugged each other tightly and the adults cooed over the display of affection. The doctors, seeing that there was no danger, left the room and promised to bring some special stuff for Lunch, since it was a late party for Izuka's birthday.

The children settled down together on Izuka's bed while the adults took seats around it. "So," Mitsuki began, "When will you be coming home? I'm guessing it'll be a while since the Press have surrounded the neighbourhood and the hospital."

Inko shrugged; "I'm not sure. With the money from my job, the donations from the public and Haru's money, I'm thinking of buying a new house in a nicer area so I can raise Izuka in peace. Plus, the doctors want Izuka to have a Psyche Examination tomorrow, just to see how she is doing."

Masaru nodded and looked to Izuka, whom had Katsuki's arm around her shoulders. He hadn't seen them that close since they were three, when Katsuki had declared that he and Izuka would get married and be a Hero Couple with a bigger Agency than All-Might. "How are you feeling, dear?" he asked the girl.

"I'm okay. I don't have nightmares or anything; I stopped having dreams at all after I was there for three months. Recovery Girl said it was 'cause of my Evolution Quirk protecting my mind from damage." Izuka said happily.

"We believe that in order to preserve her sanity, her quirk has sealed portions of her memories from the last year, hiding them being mental barriers." Toshinori added his own two cents.

Inko nodded, "Izuka has always been quite shy and timid. She's a bit more so now, and tends to look at me or Toshi for approval before doing anything, but aside from that, she's mostly fine."

"Yeah! I do still cry about stuff though..." Izuka admitted embarrassedly, "But after crying, I feel a lot better! And the crying spells are getting shorter and further apart."

Katsuki grimaced; he hated people crying. Even when he was a bully; seeing Izuka cry would always make his insides twist painfully. "Tch, if you gotta cry, then just cry. It may suck, but if you feel better after, then deal with it!"

Izuka giggled and nodded. After spending a year dealing with Tomura and his tantrums, Kacchan's temper seemed more cute and endearing than scary.

"You have a good friend there, Izuka my girl! Katsuki my boy, I'm trusting you to help protect Izuka when we grown ups aren't around, okay?" Toshinori asked, entering All-Might mode.

Katsuki's eyes sparkled with awe; "'Course I'll protect her! I said it when we were three; I'm gonna marry her and make a Hero Agency even better than yours!"

Izuka squeaked and turned beet red, little flames appearing on the ends of her hair. It was one thing for him to say that when they were three, but now they were ten! Katsuki smirked at her reaction; "What? It's only normal right? You're the only girl I can stand."

All-Might laughed uproariously; "HA! A great Hero Response! Grow well, Young Katsuki! I'll be watching your Hero Career closely."

Izuka eventually calmed down enough that the flames disappeared, though she was still blushing when her mother decided it was time for presents. Before she knew it, Izuka had a rather large pile of gifts in front of her, all wrapped in colourful paper mostly themed around Heroes.

Inko had bought her daughter a ton of presents, mostly All-Might merchandise. Apparently, every time she saw a new item, she had bought it without a second thought. It had been her way of coping and keeping herself hopeful that Izuka would be rescued. The mother was so giddily joyful to finally get to hand over the pile of stuff she'd bought. Izuka's Uncle Haru had sent an expensive white gold charm bracelet that had been made by the Kintaro Group, which specialised in making items to help people deal with their quirks. The bracelet had a feather charm and a dragon tooth charm to represent both her and her Uncle, and also came with a promise that he would tear himself away from work to finally come and see her in person. The Bakugou family had sprung for the new portable gaming system for her, which they had also gotten Katsuki on his birthday. It came with all the games Katsuki had, so Izuka and he could play together.

Katsuki had worked hard and saved up his pocket money from the last year to buy an extremely rare figure of All-Might. It was a figure of him from when he had tried to use support items and so it was armoured and had a plethora of nifty accessories. Izuka was so happy to receive it that she plucked up the courage to kiss the boy on the cheek, taking a fair bit of pleasure in making Kacchan blush for once!

Then, to Izuka's surprise, she found she'd been given gifts by several heroes; namely All-Might, Gran Torino, Sir Nighteye, Eraserhead, Recovery Girl, Nezu and the U.A Staff and the biggest shock of all; Endeavor!

The gift from Endeavor was a surprise to everyone and was a note containing a pair of cards. One was a business card for a tailor of some sort and the other was a rather generous gift card for that same tailor. The note read: _"Saving All-Might has given me more of a chance to defeat him and claim his spot as Number One, so you have my gratitude. The tailor specialises in creating fireproof clothing, to assist with dealing with your quirk. My son is your age and will likely be in your year should you aim for U.A; I hope you prove a worthy rival. Signed Endeavor."_

"Wow… I guess Endeavor has a real rivalry with you, huh Toshi?" Inko commented, before looking at the value on the gift card and nearly having her eyes pop out from surprise; "Holy Cr-I mean Cow! We could buy Izuka three whole wardrobes with this!"

Toshinori just shook his head; leave it to Endeavor to reward someone for saving his life, just so he could keep trying to win! Still, it was a thoughtful gift regardless.

The present from Toshinori was a pair of extremely rare Hero figurines; in fact they were the only figures made for the Heroes in question, namely Gran Torino and Nana Shimura. Izuka loved them and fussed over them with Kacchan, pointing out all the cool little details in the costumes. Gran Torino himself had bought her a set of children's training weights to help her train her body for One for All. Sir Nighteye had, oddly, bought her a toy from a popular set of girl's toys themed around princesses that turned into knights. It felt a bit out of left field, but Izuka thought it was a lot cooler than most girls toys, so was happy to play with it, pretending it was a Pro-Hero. Eraserhead followed in Endeavor's footsteps, though in a more personal way; he bought her a cute white fireproof dress meant for girls with fire quirks. It had a ribbon around the waist that was very long so Izuka thought she could use it like Eraserhead uses his capture weapons. Recovery Girl got her a child's first aid kit and a handwritten note telling Izuka not to try using her own blood for healing again, unless it is a life or death situation. The note was sternly worded, but Izuka could practically feel the concern; plus it was signed with Recovery Girl's signature, so she got another autograph!

Nezu and the U.A staff had gotten her a collective set of gifts; namely a Student ID, a child-sized U.A Uniform and U.A Gym clothes and two documents. The first was a schedule, specifically Izuka's new school schedule for when she was ready to continue her education. Nezu would be her teacher and the other U.A teachers would fill in for him if he was busy or if he lacked the expertise. This got Izuka excited, but it was the final document that really made her bounce and scream in joy; an official U.A Hero Course Recommendation signed by Nezu, Recovery Girl and Eraserhead.

"No way! A U.A Recommendation at Ten years old!? The youngest ever recommendation before was twelve years old!" Kacchan said, bewildered. His parents looked at him a tad nervously, though he didn't notice it. They worried he'd be jealous and get angry, but he seemed genuinely happy for his friend. "This is so awesome!"

Izuka grinned, then fixed Kacchan with an odd look; "Is this okay? That I got a recommendation? I mean, you were always so much better than me before… it feels like I cheated, or I got in on sympathy."

Kacchan scoffed; "Cut the crap, Izuchan!" he smirked, using the childhood nickname to make her blush; "Even if I got a recommendation, I'd tell 'em to get lost! I want to get through being the best, and that means I've got to ace the entrance exam! And I bet you got a recommendation 'cause the Heroes were scared you wouldn't want to waste time in school when your quirk is so crazy powerful! You can't die and you can heal people and shoot fire and fly! The Heroes would be kicking themselves if they let you go anywhere but U.A!"

The adults grinned at the simplistic view, and Toshinori especially had to choke down a laugh at how close Katsuki actually came to the truth. U.A certainly didn't want to lose a student like Izuka to another school and the Government were desperate for her to be a hero, but the official reason she was given the Recommendation was to help her train her Quirks, especially One for All.

Still, Izuka took Kacchan's words to heart and her reservations were stripped away. For the rest of the morning, Izuka and Katsuki played Heroes with Izuka's new toys, and then got to have cake provided by the hospital staff, who joined Kacchan, Toshinori and the parents in singing happy birthday. In the afternoon, Izuka played dress up with the U.A clothes and the dress from Eraserhead, with Toshinori, Inko and Mitsuki all practically fighting each other to take the best pictures. Half the heroes in Japan ended up receiving the pictures when All-Might sent them out to his friends, gushing over his new successor and how sweet and strong she was. Eraserhead got a bit of friendly ribbing from Present Mic and Midnight for the girly gift, but he shut them up when he showed them a picture sent just to him, with Izuka using the ribbon of her dress as a makeshift capture weapon and wearing some borrowed sunglasses in a childish imitation of him. The last he heard on the subject was Present Mic muttering about getting a child size leather jacket and headphones, and Midnight complaining that her costume was inappropriate for kids. Eraserhead suddenly remembered that Izuka was set to start coming to U.A for tutoring and privately told himself to apologise to her for the trouble he had just started.

As the day wound down, both Izuka and Katsuki played until they dropped, falling asleep in each others arms, their game systems forgotten. Mitsuki and Inko giggled to each other as they carefully seperated the sleeping children so the Bakugous could go home. As Inko walked them out of the hospital, she stopped them at the door with a bow.

"Thank you both so much. Izuka wasn't showing it, but she's been having a harder time coping than she lets on. I know that she cries at night still, she just doesn't tell me since she thinks I'm sleeping. But today was the first day so far that she hasn't had any sad tears and it's all thanks to you and Katsuki." she said.

Mitsuki smirked; "Don't worry about it Inko! Izuka seems fragile, but she's a tough little girl! She has to be to keep this little terror under her control. You know Masaru and I are always here for you, and I don't think anything could stop Katsuki from getting to Izuka if she needs him, and of course, he loves his favourite Auntie too!"

Inko grinned and hugged her old friend, before hugging Masaru as well, being careful not to jostle Katsuki, whom she pecked on the forehead. "Inko, you know we have a spare room. When you and Izuka get out of the hospital, come stay with us until you move house, or at least until the media stops swarming your house." Masaru offered.

"I… I may take you up on that. I don't want Izuka having to deal with the press." the young mother replied with another bow. Finally, the Bakugous took their leave and Inko returned to her daughter's room, only to find Izuka cuddled into All-Might's side.

Toshinori became flustered as Inko entered the room with a knowing smirk; "A-Ah! Miss Inko! I'm sorry, but when you left, she started reaching out in her sleep so I let her grab onto me. I thought it would comfort her."

Inko giggled; "It's alright Toshinori, and please, just call me Inko. To be honest, if Izuka knew she was cuddling with you, she'd probably be both really embarrassed and really happy. You and Katsuki are the two people she respects most; I don't think you realise how much she values having you care about her."

"I admit, I have grown a lot more attached than I expected." Toshi said, relaxing, "I don't know if it's because she saved my life, or because she's my successor, or even if it's just her natural charm! Still, as much as she respects me, I doubt I hold a candle to yourself in her heart!"

Inko smiled sadly; "I don't know about that… you always gave her hope whilst I..." she hesitated, "When Izuka was four and diagnosed as Quirkless, her father Hisashi screamed at her. He had declared he didn't want a Quirkless daughter, and while he and Izuka had never had a close relationship, I knew that it hurt her deeply, especially after being told she was Quirkless. Then, with tears in her eyes and watching one of your videos, she asked if she could be an amazing Hero like you, who saves people with a smile. She was so upset, being rejected by her father and being told she was Quirkless, and yet when she asked me that, I just told her I was sorry. I didn't comfort her or tell her she could fulfil her dreams, I just apologised. I think in her young mind, she took that as me confirming what her father and so many others said; that she couldn't do anything without a Quirk. Ever since then, she tried so hard to be a good girl; she studied hard, helped out around the house and did everything I asked without question. I've never had to ground her, give her a time out or even raise my voice a little!" Inko began to choke up.

"It's like she was trying so hard to be perfect, so I wouldn't abandon her too! And when she was taken, I just kept thinking to myself; "If she never comes back… I'll never be able to make it right. She'll have d-died thinking that she wasn't good enough!" I'd never be able to forgive myself!" she finished, breaking down into sobs. "A-And now she has a Quirk! If I go and apologise to her now, she'll think it's just because she has a Quirk now! She'll think that her being Quirkless really was a problem, when in reality, it was my short-sighted words that were at fault!"

Toshinori looked at the woman and gently raised a hand to her shoulder; "I understand. Sometimes even the best people will accidentally hurt the people they love; either out of ignorance, a misunderstanding or even an attempt to help them. I think Izuka would understand that, after all, when she first woke up and every other time she's cried; it wasn't me she wanted to be held by. Inko, you're a good mother and I think you and Izuka both have a habit of downplaying how important you are to the people who love you." Toshi looked down at the child in his side, "Am I right, Young Izuka?"

Inko's eyes shot towards her daughter, whom slowly pulled herself out of Toshinori's side. Izuka's eyes were red with tears and her small shoulders were shaking; "Mommy…" she whimpered, holding her arms out to her mother. Inko broke into sobs as she took her daughter into her arms and cradled her.

"M-Mommy, when the bad people had me and-and kept killing me, it always really hurt. I was so scared and sometimes, when I was dead and not revived yet, I'd want to stay dead, just so it didn't hurt any more. But when it was over and I was left alone for the night, I'd feel bad for wanting that 'cause I knew you would be sad. Even though it hurt, I wanted to live so I could come home and make it better! When I kept getting mind-controlled, I always refused to kill anyone, because you told me once that if you kill someone, even if they're evil, they'll never have a chance to change and be good! When you apologised to me when I was four, I didn't think I was useless or that you'd abandon me; I wanted you to acknowledge me and say I could be a Hero! I was good because I wanted you to see it; see that I didn't need a Quirk, I just needed to try really hard. Mommy, I want to be a Hero! I want to save people with a smile like All-Might, I want to be strong and make people feel safe like Kacchan! But most of all, I want to be a Hero that makes everyone happy to see them; like you! If I didn't have a Quirk, I couldn't be a Hero like All-Might and Kacchan, but I could be a Hero like you! And I think that's the best kind of Hero to be…"

Inko kissed her daughter's cheek, hugging her tighter; "Oh Izuka… I'm so sorry." she said, before sitting the girl on the bed and kneeling so they were eye to eye. "I'm going to say what I should have said from the beginning…. Izuka, my beloved child, you don't need to be a Hero… you already are a Hero and to be honest, I don't think you need to become a Hero like All-Might, Katsuki or me; I think you can become a Hero like Izuka Midoriya!" Inko leaned in to whisper "I think that's the best kind of Hero to be."

Both Midoriyas smiled warmly and embraced each other. Inko finally feeling the guilt of the unsaid words leaving her, and Izuka feeling the love and acknowledgement of her own personal Number One Hero.

Toshinori watched the exchange with a proud smile… "I think she's the one, Nana-sensei… the one to truly carry on your ideals." he whispered to himself.

The Midoriyas eventually fell asleep together on Izuka's bed, but unfortunately for Toshinori, he ended up trapped beneath them and ended up having to sleep sitting up, though he did get to discover that both Inko and Izuka have an adorable habit of quietly snoring a such a way that they sound like purring cats.

The next day (after Inko and Izuka repeatedly bowed and apologised to a laughing Toshi), Izuka was escorted to her Psyche Examination with Doctor Miragi Nekozawa; a woman whose quirk allowed her to read and understand a patient's emotions in a form of Empathetic telepathy, though the woman also had brown cat ears and a tail to match her brown hair as a result of inheriting the physical attributes of her mother's quirk.

As they walked, Izuka looked up at the woman; "Um, excuse me, Doctor Nekozawa? Can I ask how you know Principal Nezu? Toshinori said he recommended you especially."

"Please call me Miragi, okay Izuka?" the Doctor said kindly, her voice sounding like a slightly deeper version of Inko's. "Nezu is an old friend from years back; he was in the same predicament as you after being rescued from a Lab that experimented on him because he was an Animal with a Quirk. I helped him out and we've been friends ever since. Truthfully, I specialise in Child Psychology, because I find it so much more pleasant to read their emotions compared to an adult and despite his age and intelligence, emotionally Nezu is more like a kid." Miragi explained.

Izuka giggled, "I like Principal Nezu; he's cute but still an awesome hero!" she chirped as Miragi led her into her office. Doctor Miragi's office definitely reflected that she preferred child patients as it was brightly coloured and looked more like a mix between a day care and an Elementary Classroom than an office. There was no desk either; just a bunch of book cases surrounding a large beanbag chair and a short, kotatsu style table.

Miragi gestured for Izuka to sit wherever she liked (Izuka selected a particularly soft green beanbag) while the Doctor dragged the table over to her and sat beneath it with Izuka's file. "Now, let's have a few ground rules, alright? I'll ask you some questions and I need you to try your best to answer them as truthfully as possible. Nothing you say will get you in trouble and I won't tell anyone anything that they don't absolutely need to know. You can take as long as you need and don't try and hide how you feel; if you need to cry then don't be embarrassed and if you get angry, I have plenty of soft stuff for you to go crazy at until you feel better. I'll stop the moment you ask me to and can get your Mom or anyone else you need if you need them, okay?"

Izuka gulped, but nodded bravely, making Miragi smile. "Good girl, now I want to get the hard questions out the way first. Agent Nest and All-Might already told me about the things we need to keep secret, like your Quirk and such, so please don't be afraid of telling me something I shouldn't know. Now, please tell me what happened over the passed year; remember, we have as long as you like and can stop any time."

Izuka nodded shakily and began "O-Okay… well it started with me and Kacchan and Auntie Mitsuki in the park on my 9th Birthday..."

[IZUKA AND TOSHINORI'S ROOM]

Inko and Toshinori were playing a silent game of Othello, both trying to keep their minds off the examination happening elsewhere in the hospital. They had been asked to stay behind unless Izuka asked for them, but both were left anxious about it. The Bakugous weren't coming to visit today, as it was Monday and Katsuki had school (though he would have no doubt ditched for Izuka's sake), but since Izuka would be discharged tomorrow, they would come then to help get the Midoriyas settled in their home.

A knock at the door caught the attention of the two, but before either could get up or speak, it burst open to reveal three men. Two of the men were practically identical; tall, bald men in sunglasses with earpieces and jet black suits, each standing on one side of the third man. The third man was around the height of Toshinori in his Civilian form and had curly, very dark crimson hair that had been tightly gelled and combed into a businessman's hairstyle. He was dressed in an expensive designed suit in the same dark red as his hair with a dragon shaped pin in his lapel.

"H-Haru!?" Inko shouted, getting to her feet and approaching the panting man.

"Inko, I'm glad I caught you, where is Izuka?" Haru demanded, worry evident in his voice.

Toshinori put his hands up; "Whoa there, what's going on here? Inko, is this Izuka's Uncle Haru Kintaro?"

The man turned to look at Toshinori impatiently, "Yes I am, Haru Kintaro, CEO of Kintaro Quirk Solutions and Head of the Kintaro Group. Now where is Izuka!?"

"Haru, I don't understand! What's going on; why are you so flustered!?" Inko yelled, becoming fearful.

Haru growled; "It's my brat of a brother! Hisashi saw on the news about Izuka and her Quirk! He got the family lawyer to draw up Guardianship Papers to try and reclaim her!"

"That isn't possible! No court would allow a man who abandons his child to claim her, especially one with the media attention Izuka has!" Toshinori shouted.

"Hisashi isn't going the court route! Like it or not, my brother knows he won't win in a legal battle; the papers he had drawn up require Izuka to sign them, but if she does, Hisashi will have full legal control of her. That damn lawyer knew how to work around the law and if she signs and we contest it, we won't have a legal leg to stand on." Haru frowned.

"Izuka would never sign that! She hates her father!" Inko spluttered.

Haru raised an eyebrow; "Inko, I love you to pieces, but don't be so naive. You know he won't take no for an answer. He was on his way here before me and since neither he or Izuka is here, I'm beginning to worry."

Toshinori scowled angrily and pulled out his phone, "Mr. Kintaro, Izuka is in a counselling session right now. Room 19, just past the Psych Ward. It's the office of Miragi Nekozawa. Inko, go with Mr. Kintaro and make sure Izuka is safe."

"What about you?" Haru asked as Inko hurried out the door.

Toshi gave a small smile; "Let's just say I have a very close relationship to a certain Hero..."

[MIRAGI'S OFFICE]

Miragi listened carefully to every word Izuka said, occasionally smiling gently at her to urge her to continue when she paused. So far, Izuka had been very methodical about explaining her experiences, telling the story almost as if she wasn't the subject in a way to distance herself from the pain. She still got choked up at times and when she described (in awful detail) what it felt like to be decayed by Tomura for the first time, they had to stop for a few moments while Izuka cried. To be honest, Miragi couldn't have been more thankful for the Evolution aspect of Izuka's quirk; without it and the mental protection it had created, the Doctor highly doubted Izuka would ever mentally recover. As it stood, Izuka would likely suffer very few long term consequences.

It seemed to Miragi that in Izuka's mind, if it happened to her and not someone else, it wasn't a big deal. Miragi wasn't sure if this was a result of the girl being confident in her Phoenix Quirk or just her poor self-esteem. Either way, Miragi would recommend fortnightly meetings with her to either build her self-esteem, or break her dependence on her quirk. Immortal or not, it wasn't healthy for someone to value their own life so little, especially a ten year old girl.

Izuka, on the other hand, was finding the assessment to be a lot more pleasant than she expected. It was therapeutic to tell her story, especially to someone who wouldn't become really upset at her experiences (Miragi WAS upset, but hid it well behind a pleasant smile). Every detail she revealed made her think back on the events differently; less like a victim and more like a survivor; someone that resisted and kept to her morals despite the pain. It was one of the few times Izuka felt proud of herself.

Izuka was just wrapping up her story, having spoken of her feelings while healing All-Might, when the door to the office suddenly burst open. Miragi looked up at the man in confusion, while Izuka froze and paled.

The intruder was actually two men; one was a plain faced man whose eyes were hidden behind glasses but he had a prominent horn, like that of a Rhino, on his forehead. The other man was VERY familiar to Izuka; his curly red hair looking like a shorter, colour swapped version of her own. He was wearing a black suit with a red shirt and black tie, with a tie pin shaped like a stream of flame.

This man was Hisashi Kintaro; Izuka's father.

"F-Father!? W-What are you doing here!?" Izuka squeaked, edging closer to Miragi. The Doctor's face turned from confusion to anger as she stood up, hiding Izuka behind her as she marched over to the man.

"We are having a private meeting here, you have no business barging in! Please leave, or I shall call for Security." she demanded.

Hisashi regarded her with a critical eye before ignoring her completely, brushing past her to see his daughter. "Izuka, you have grown up. I'm glad to see you have recovered from your ordeal."

"Why do you care? You said you didn't want me!" Izuka snapped, the pain of those words still raw despite the years.

Hisashi smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes, "I said I didn't want a Quirkless Child. You are not Quirkless… in fact, you have surpassed my expectations; Fire AND Healing! With those Quirks and my family's evolution quirk in your veins, the next generation of the Kintaro Family will be unmatched! And you even went and got the Number One Hero in our debt."

Izuka and Miragi exchanged a subtle glance; thankfully Hisashi didn't know the truth of her Quirk; if he did, he'd do anything to take her away. "All-Might isn't in my debt; he saved me and I saved him, so we're even! And you disowned me! I'm a Midoriya and always will be until I marry!" Izuka shouted, losing her temper.

Hisashi ignored her outrage and took a document from the other man; "My lawyer here has written up documents to correct that. Sign these and you will be Izuka Kintaro, my rightful heir. You'll want for nothing, and if the rumours I've heard are true, you have a recommendation to U.A, so your education will be top notch."

"I don't want to be a Kintaro! I am Izuka Midoriya and I will stay that way! You abandoned me, you don't get to just come back into my life 'cause I have a Quirk and expect me to do what you want!"

"And you think you'll have a better life with your mother? I am extremely wealthy, even as the second son of the Kintaro family, while your mother scrapes out a living among the lesser people. Can she even afford the Hospital Bills here?" her father asked mockingly.

Izuka glared with all the might her ten year old body could muster. She marched over to the door and held it open; "I'm not going with you! Please leave, Mr. Kintaro!"

Miragi smirked, oddly proud at the girl's defiance. Izuka was terrified on the inside, but she had experienced much worse than her horrid father; he couldn't scare her any more! Hisashi's eyes narrowed; "I'm getting bored with this little rebellion, Izuka. Your mother's influence is strong, but I will fix that. You are MY daughter and you WILL do what I say!"

"Izuka is MY daughter and you have NO RIGHT TO DEMAND ANYTHING!" screamed Inko Midoriya, who came marching in with Haru Kintaro and his bodyguards hot on her heels.

"Ah, Miss Midoriya. You have my thanks for raising my child for the last few years, but it is time I reclaimed her." Hisashi said dismissively, ignoring his ex-wife's outrage.

"That's big talk for the man that abandoned her for six years!" Inko yelled.

Hisashi's smile turned cruel, "That's big talk for the woman that allowed the child to be kidnapped, experimented on and tortured for a year!" he shot back, causing Inko to flinch.

"Hey! At least Mom tried to find me and was there for me when I was saved! You didn't even care until the news said I had a quirk!" Izuka yelled, defending her mother. Little flames were beginning to form on the ends of her hair and the tips of her fingers.

Haru stepped forward; "Enough brother. You forget; I am head of the Kintaro Family, not you. Stealing Izuka from a loving family will not let you take over."

"Ah, but you forget, dear brother;" Hisashi smirked, "You don't have an heir. You prefer the company of other men, and there is no way that the board or the rest of the family would approve of an adopted heir, when I can provide a flesh and blood one. Plus, with All-Might in my pocket thanks to that little debt, I wouldn't be surprised if the family threw you out just to let me take over. Now if you don't mind..." he turned to Izuka and flapped the papers at her, "Sign these. I have six years of education for you."

Izuka's temper flared, and in a rare show of physical defiance, she breathed fire over the papers, incinerating them. Hisashi recoiled from the fire, "Don't make this so difficult, girl." he growled, before the cruel grin returned to his face; "You know, I hear that a certain little law firm is being bought by a larger office… one that happens to be owned by a friend of mine. Why, a word from me, and I'm sure my friend won't mind replacing a certain personal assistant..."

Izuka paled. The threat was clear; obey Hisashi, or her mother would lose her job.

"And if that assistant should lose her job, I know of a very reputable Hero Agency that could use a good Personal Assistant!" bellowed a new voice. In a burst of wind, All-Might appeared in the room, dressed in his full costume and flashing a secret thumbs up at Izuka.

Hisashi turned his attention to her newly appeared Hero; "Ah, All-Might, I was hoping to speak to you soon. I wanted to arrange a business partnership between Kintaro Quirk Solutions and yourself. It's not much to ask, especially since my daughter saved your life."

All-Might shook his head; "Not a chance! I fully support Young Izuka's wish to stay with her mother!"

Hisashi frowned, his temper beginning to rise; "Mr. All-Might, I don't know what Izuka or her mother has told you, but you don't know the situation..."

"Oh, I know exactly what's going on! Sir Nighteye may be the one with the Foresight Quirk, but I have a bit of foresight myself, so I'm going to tell you what's going to happen!" All-Might's smile was replaced with a furious scowl, his teeth bared like a bear before its prey, "You are going to tear up any replacement documents you have and stay away from Izuka and her friends and family. If you do not, many things will happen; Firstly, I'll announce publicly that my Agency will never do business with the Kintaro Group, citing immoral practices on the part of the Kintaro family's second son. Secondly, I will urge my fellow Heroes to do the same, telling them what you tried to do. Thirdly, I'll tell the media why you abandoned your child and that you threatened her mother when she was rescued, all so you could exploit her. I wonder what would happen to you after all that…."

Everyone in the room could tell immediately; if All-Might followed through on that threat, the Kintaro Group would be ruined. They'd practically bend over backwards to kick Hisashi to the curb, just to save face. Hisashi would be left completely destitute either way, with barely enough money to rent a low-end apartment. "B-But you can't do that! I've done nothing wrong!" Hisashi argued weakly, his arrogance evaporating in the presence of the formidable hero.

All-Might leaned in, his face inches from Hisashi's; "I am a Hero; it is my job to stop Villains and from where I'm standing, you seem rather villainous. Take my advice; cut your losses and get THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

Hiashi gulped and nodded, fleeing the room without a backwards glance. The Rhino horned Lawyer just watched and sighed before turning to Haru; "I apologise Sir, I tried to report his actions, but he kept a close eye on me and dragged me here as soon as I completed the papers."

Haru nodded; "It's fine Hisagawa. I was alerted by your assistant."

The lawyer, Hisagawa, turned to Inko and Izuka; "I apologise to you as well, Miss and Little Miss Midoriya. For the record, even if Izuka signed those documents, Hiashi would only be granted visitation rights, not guardianship. I am rather well versed in legal jargon, and Hisashi isn't known for his patience in reading documentation." he said, pushing his glasses up his nose with one finger.

Izuka sighed with relief; "Thank you Mr. Hisagawa. Thank you too; Mom, All-Might, Uncle Haru and Mr. Bodyguards! Oh, and thank you Miss Nekozawa!"

With the adrenaline leaving her system, Izuka suddenly blinked; "Wait… UNCLE HARU!" she yelled, leaping at her Uncle. "I finally get to see you in person! Your hair is really fluffy!" she squealed happily as Haru lifted her onto his shoulders.

"Haha! Glad to see you too Munchkin! And yes, my hair IS very fluffy. Kintaros often have that little trait; you have our blood, which is why your hair is fluffy too!" Haru joked, reaching up to pet Izuka's hair.

With Hisashi gone, the others relaxed too, but while Izuka and Haru chatted, All-Might directed Inko to follow him to a side room beside Miragi's office. "Inko, as much as I hate to say this, this experience with Hisashi has made me think. Is it safe for Izuka to go about like everything is normal? People are going to want to exploit her, and the Warp Gate Villain is still on the loose. I fear it will be dangerous for Izuka."

Inko went pale; "I-I hadn't thought of that! What should we do!?"

"I think Izuka, and yourself, would be safest if you stayed with me. I need to train Izuka anyway, and you did say you wanted to move to a nicer neighbourhood. My home is big; far too big for just me and I would be glad to open my home to you and Izuka. I think it would be for the best." All-Might explained, returning to his Toshinori mode.

"Is it really alright? Don't take this the wrong way, but normally I would never consider this. Do you really think Izuka will be safest if we live with you?" Inko asked.

All-Might nodded. "Well then, I suppose there's no other choice! I want Izuka to be as safe as possible without taking away her freedom. Um, if it's not too much to ask; where do you live?" Inko asked.

"I live in Nabo Ward. It's where most wealthy families in the city live, and is home to a lot of the top heroes around. My home is somewhat modest for the area, but is still considered upper middle class. I have my own gym, bedroom, study, dining room, kitchen, living room, den and five spare bedrooms, all with their own bathrooms. Plus, I've got a pretty big yard for running and playing!" Toshi grinned.

Inko blinked; "You consider that modest!?"

Toshi just laughed at the outburst, which Inko soon joined in with. Once the two calmed down, they returned to the others to find Izuka was hovering above the ground with her fire wings, while her Uncle Haru had taken off his jacket and shirt so he could sprout his Dragon Wings to hover as well. Thankfully Izuka was wearing her fireproof dress from Eraserhead, so her wings didn't burn her clothes.

Toshinori and Inko exchanged a smile; the same thought crossing their mind; _"Just wait until we tell Izuka she gets to live with All-Might!"_


	3. Road to UA Part 1

**IMPORTANT NOTICE:**

 **To address some people's concerns about where this story is going, I'm going to reveal some stuff about the next few chapters (not too spoilery, so don't worry) as well as the other stories in this series.**

 **PART 1: The Immortal Hero: Phoenix will go up to the end of the Sports Festival arc. Starting next chapter, there will be some time-skips until Izuka starts at U.A as a High School Student in Chapter 7.**

 **PART 2: A seperate story that will continue from the end of Part 1 to the end of the Summer Camp arc.**

 **PART 3: A mostly original continuation from Part 3 that will end Izuka's story.**

 **SIDE-STORY: This will be an anthology style story with each chapter being a shorter scene based around things that happened before Izuka was taken, her year of captivity, the parts of her childhood that was skipped and events that simply didn't fit into the main story!**

 **If you have requests for scenes you'd like to see in Side-Story, then let me know!**

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 **The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 3: Road to U.A Part 1**

The day had finally come. Five days after being rescued from the clutches of All for One, Izuka Midoriya was being discharged from Hospital alongside All-Might, and was preparing to deal with the press for the first time. The Bakugous, Gran Torino, Sir Nighteye, Agent Nest and All-Might's friend; Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi were all assembled in the Hospital Foyer, with the police keeping the Media from entering or blocking entry to the Hospital. The group had come to serve as an escort for the Midoriyas, so they could safely get home and begin packing their things for the move to Toshinori's home in Nabo Ward. Katsuki had been disappointed that the Midoriyas wouldn't be coming to live with them instead, but Toshinori had promised that he could come visit whenever he wanted and would key the Bakugous into the House's biometric security system. Moving vans had already been delivered to the Midoriyas apartment, and Government Cars were waiting outside to get the group to their destination.

Toshinori sighed as he watched the Media buzzing about. "We aren't going to get out of here easily. The Police are holding them back, but we still need to pass the Media to get to the cars."

Sir Nighteye pushed up his glasses; "The best result would be to speak to them a bit. Appeasing them and then appealing to their sense of sympathy should get us through the fastest."

"Do you think you can handle that, Sweetie?" Inko asked, looking to her daughter, whom was dressed in the clothes Eraserhead had bought her.

"I think I can do it. They're not scary like Hisashi or the Villains." Izuka said bravely. Ever since the encounter with her father, Izuka had well and truly cut the man from her life, not even calling him Father any more.

"Alright then. Before we go, here is what the official stories are; Izuka's Quirk is Fire and Healing, All-Might killed All for One and Izuka has accepted tutoring by Principal Nezu and is moving to a secure location to live safely. Under no circumstances is anyone to mention any detail of Project Phoenix, Izuka's true quirks or the location/residents of her new home. I also strongly urge you all not to mention anything about the incident with Hisashi Kintaro, or the U.A Recommendation; If asked then refuse to comment. Does everyone understand?" Nest asked.

Everyone nodded and the group left the Hospital, the Heroes flanking the group and Izuka kept safely in the centre of their little formation. Immediately, countless flashes of light and voices flooded Izuka's senses as every News Source in the country took pictures and asked questions. All-Might led the group to the edge of the press line and lifted Izuka onto his shoulders.

"Everyone! Please be calm; Young Miss Midoriya has graciously agreed to answer your questions. Please keep your words calm and respectful." Detective Tsukauchi shouted over the crowd.

The Press calmed down a bit and the pictures slowed down to only one every few minutes, but the questions still came, along with people shouting for her attention. Nest, Inko and the Pros had already begun answering questions, but most were for Izuka herself. Swallowing her nerves, she pointed to a lady reporter she recognised from her local news network.

"Miss Midoriya, can you comment on your abduction? Why were you targeted? What did the villains want?"

"Um, well I wasn't actually targeted. My friend was, and I got captured by mistake when I pushed him out of the way..." Izuka saw Katsuki look down ashamedly, "And the Villains wanted to steal strong quirks. I was a late bloomer, so they thought I was Quirkless, but my Quirk manifested to heal me when they hurt me." Izuka answered.

Another Reporter, this time a man from a Kyoto Newspaper, stepped forward; "Does this mean the rumours of torture and experimentation are true?"

Nest cut in; "Miss Midoriya was subjected to physical and mental abuse at the hands of her captives. I'll thank you not to dredge up those experiences. The Villains' ultimate goal is presently unclear and Miss Midoriya has already provided all the information she possessed to Law Enforcement."

Many of the Reporters looked sympathetically at Izuka, but the little girl smiled brightly; "It's okay! The Heroes saved me and now I'm safe! All the Heroes worked really hard to help me and stop the Villains; All-Might and Eraserhead were the best ones, beating up the villain and stopping the other one from kidnapping me again." she gushed, entering her fangirl mode. The Media absolutely ate that up and their questions turned away from her experiences and more towards how she liked different Heroes. Izuka was highly complimentary towards every hero mentioned, and at one point, All-Might had laughed and patted her head.

"Young Midoriya is a spirited child who loves Heroes more than anything else in the world!" All-Might grinned.

"Mr. All-Might, how do you feel to have been saved by the very child you yourself had saved moments before?" a Reporter asked.

"I was very lucky. It is no exaggeration to say that if it weren't for Izuka, I would have died. Izuka's Healing Quirk creates flames that consume blood to heal wounds, and the dear girl even cut herself to use her own blood to heal me when my own blood wasn't enough. Young Midoriya is as much a Hero as I am; willingly sacrificing her own health for the sake of others." All-Might declared. Izuka blushed and tried to bury her face into All-Might's hair. The Press cooed and many pictures were taken of the sweet sight.

After that, the questioning tapered off and the group were able to get to the cars and drive away with minimal fuss. It had only been fifteen minutes, but both the Midoriyas and Bakugous were exhausted as they relaxed in the large people carrier. "Holy crap that was annoying." Katsuki cursed.

"I can't believe even we got asked questions!" Masaru complained, "Katsuki here even got asked what his relationship with Izuka was! Imagine asking a ten year old a question like that! Damn tabloids..."

Izuka looked curiously towards her friend, whom smirked; "Naturally, I told 'em I was gonna marry you."

"K-Kacchan!" Izuka meekly protested, getting a playful flick to the forehead from her friend.

"Just kidding, Izuchan. I told 'em we were childhood friends." he said with a cheeky grin. "You should have seen the looks on everyone's' faces when I got back to class on Monday; they were all going crazy, asking about you and when you'd be coming back to school."

Izuka blinked in surprise; between being Quirkless, quiet, studious and well-behaved, Izuka hadn't had any real friends. Boys hadn't wanted to play with a girl, and girls didn't want to play with a tomboy like Izuka, even if she still liked girly stuff. "Kacchan, you know I probably won't be going back there, right?"

The sandy blond nodded; "'Course I do. If that Nezu guy doesn't become your permanent teacher, you'll end up with tutors or some high class school, like Soumei or something. It doesn't really matter; I told most of the people in my school to get lost! Acting all caring 'cause you got a Quirk and fame. Freaking parasites." he growled.

The rest of the car ride was fairly quiet and by the time they got to the Midoriyas' apartment, most of the press outside had left following the interview at the hospital, and the moving crew was raring to go. It didn't take long to actually pack their things into the moving trucks; neither Inko or Izuka had a huge amount of possessions and with All-Might and Gran Torino helping out, it was done before lunch. Inko and Izuka both teared up a bit as they left the apartment for the last time; it wasn't much, but it had been their home since before Izuka had been born and leaving it was a sad occasion. The family said their goodbyes to the neighbours and piled back into the car for the trip to Nabo Ward.

When All-Might had described Nabo Ward as the Rich and Wealthy district, he hadn't been exaggerating! The Ward was made up of 48 blocks, arranged in six rows of eight and each block was not a street or apartment complex, but a single home! The buildings were all built in a western fashion (a more Japanese style Ward of the same class, Geonosu Ward, was on the other side of the city) and no two buildings were the same. The only blocks that weren't filled with manors or extravagant homes were the ones occupied by a large park and a shopping centre that catered to the rich and famous. A single Hero Agency was based here; Lady Noble "the Golden Eye Hero" Agency.

Toshinori's home occupied one of the smaller blocks, specifically located directly to the north of the Shopping Centre (the blocks surrounding it had been made smaller so the centre had more space). His home was large and modern with a well kept garden surrounding the entire property. The place was walled off like every block in the Ward and the only way in was through a large wrought iron gate that opened onto a gravel driveway. The only clue that All-Might lived here was a fountain in the middle of some flowerbeds with numerous stone heroes carved into it, with All-Might himself at the top. Izuka and Katsuki stared up at the house with awe as the adults began unpacking behind them.

"Well, let's go in! Welcome to my home!" Toshinori announced, unlocking the heavy oak front door and letting the group in. Izuka and Katsuki didn't need to be asked twice and ran in, eager to explore every corner of the house.

The front door opened into a large foyer, which really only acted as a hub to the other rooms on the ground floor, and also contained the stair cases that led to the second floor. The entire ground floor was carpeted with cream carpets and the walls were painted a plain white. To the left of the foyer was the west wing, which contained the Gym and Den. The gym was decked out with every imaginable workout machine, some in normal size and some specially upgraded to train All-Might's muscle form. The Den featured a massive plasma screen TV and the walls were filled with shelves of DVDs, Blu Rays and Video Games. A pool table and a few arcade cabinets were also situated behind the mini-movie theatre. To the right of the foyer, was the east wing which held the Sitting and Dining Rooms, which were neatly decorated, but clearly not used often. Straight ahead from the foyer was the kitchen, which had it's own small dining area and doors that led to the Den and Dining Rooms. There was also a dumb waiter that led to the upper floors.

The second floor was were all the bedrooms were; six of them in total with their own bathrooms. Only All-Might's room was occupied and was locked tight. The other five were all identical, with king size beds, wardrobes and a vanity as well as a window that overlooked the back garden. The third floor only contained a study, but Toshinori whispered to the children that his Hero Study and Armoury was hidden on that floor too, though they couldn't get in without him.

When the two were finally done exploring, the moving crews had already emptied their trucks and now boxes of the Midoriyas' things filled the foyer. "Thanks for the help! We'll take it from here." All-Might said, handing the working men a healthy tip. He had slipped into his Civilian form before arriving at the Midoriyas, so the public didn't know they were living with All-Might.

With the moving crew gone, Toshi turned to group; "That's the hard part done! Inko, I'll keep any furniture you don't feel like using in the garage; there's plenty of space! Also, feel free to redecorate anything in the east wing; I never really use it, so you can make it into your own "Midoriya Family" Space if you like."

Inko nodded happily, "Thank you so much, Toshinori. I think we'll leave things as they are until we get settled a bit more."

"Righto! Now, Young Izuka, you get first dibs on which room you want! Mine is the one on the far left, so the other five are unoccupied. Inko, Young Katsuki, Mr and Mrs Bakugou, feel free to take your pick of the remaining ones!"

Mitsuki's eyes widened; "Uh, that's really nice of you, but why us? We're not moving in too..."

Toshinori grinned; "Maybe not, but I have plenty of rooms and I'd like you to come visit as often as you like! You might as well be comfortable!"

Izuka and Katsuki shot each other excited smiles and ran off to choose their rooms, opting for the two in the middle since they had the best view, showing the wide back garden. "It's not much yet, but a lick of paint and your stuff and this place will feel like home." Toshinori said, leaning in the door way.

"It already feels like home to me, 'cause you and Mom are here!" Izuka smiled sweetly, hugging the man. Katsuki laughed at Toshinori's flustered expression, but he soon shut up when Izuka hugged him too, making him blush as badly as Toshi.

Inko selected the room between Toshinori's and Izuka's, and the Bakugous ended up picking the one on the other side of Katsuki, leaving only the one on the far right unoccupied. With everyone working together, Izuka and Inko had their personal belongings put away in their new rooms, making their rooms look like larger versions of the ones they had at their old home. By the time they were finished, everyone was famished and sat down for dinner in the Dining Room.

"This place really is amazing, Toshinori. How do you keep it so clean and tidy?" Inko asked.

Gran Torino snorted; "Ha, this idiot can't even work a vacuum! His only domestic skill is cooking!"

"That's so mean..." Toshi sulked, "But it is true; I have a cleaner and Gardner that maintains the place. I do the food myself."

"Well, we can help you there. Izuka and I cook together all the time!" Inko smiled and Izuka happily nodded.

"Cooking with Mom is fun! It'll be even more fun with you too!" she cheered.

Katsuki smirked; "I bet you could cook without even using an oven, with your fire quirk. I tried cooking a fish I caught with explosions, but it ended… messily."

Masaru shuddered; "Don't remind me… I was cleaning fish bits out of places I didn't even know I had! I found one of it's eyeballs in my ear!"

The children giggled while Tsukauchi and Gran Torino smirked and Sir Nighteye looked a bit green. Toshi, hoping to change the subject for the sake of his sidekick, looked to his Successor: "It'll be nice to have someone else to cook for besides myself. Now, I think we should discuss how we'll begin your training!"

Izuka nodded excitedly; "Yeah! I've got to go to U.A for some Equivalency Tests on Monday, then I'll start tutoring with Principal Nezu. I also have to have my counselling sessions with Doctor Miragi every other week, but the rest of the time is all for training!"

"I'm glad you're so enthusiastic. I know you're proficient with your Phoenix and Link Evolution Quirks, so we'll be focused solely on One for All. But this is important; until I tell you otherwise, you are forbidden from even trying to use One for All! Emergencies are fine, but otherwise, never use it." All-Might warned.

"How come? Is it dangerous?" Izuka asked.

"Yes, both for you and for others. It puts incredible strain on the body if you aren't used to it and with your current physique, you'll be shattered with even a tiny bit of the power. We'll be training your body first, so you can use the minimum power safely, then we'll work on controlling the power output! I warn you, it'll be extremely difficult and when you actually start using One for All, I imagine it'll hurt a lot until you're used to it. Your healing quirk is really a godsend in this situation."

"Holy crap… your quirk could serious mess up her body?" Katsuki asked.

"Unfortunately. I was lucky in that my body is perfectly suited for it, but Izuka, you are never likely going to have the muscle mass that I do, so you'll need to use the power differently." Toshi explained.

"You may be better served using kicks, acrobatics and speed as opposed to punches and raw power." Sir Nighteye added; "Judging from your mother, and your rather reprehensible father, you will likely be slender and any muscle you build will likely be based more in your legs and abdominal muscles."

Izuka nodded; "I can also use my fire as a booster to further strengthen my blows without causing myself any damage."

"You also have that evolution factor as part of your quirk. Chances are, that'll help you adapt to it faster." Inko added her own opinion.

"I'm not sure about that… Evolution helped my mind, as well as making me more resistant to poison, disease and other environmental effects, but it never really worked to make me physically tougher. But there is a difference between taking blows and overworking my own body, so it might work?" Izuka replied. She wished she had her Hero Notebook with her, but her Mom didn't like when she wrote at the Dinner table.

From there, conversation turned into the Heroes creating a proper training plan for Izuka. All-Might would focus on the actual muscle training, Gran Torino would teach Izuka how to fight with kicks and acrobatics, and Sir Nighteye would help improve her natural ability for strategy. Inko would contribute by helping cook the special diet that Izuka would need, and Katsuki would join in on the training as well, so he and Izuka could get stronger together. Mitsuki and Masaru were a bit lost, not being sure how to assist, but Izuka assured them that just cheering her on was enough.

For the rest of Izuka's first week in her new home, she rested and helped run errands with Inko and All-Might, getting to explore a bit of the neighbourhood. Since most of the people living in the area were very wealthy or famous themselves, they had very little interest in Izuka, or were understanding and kept her presence in Nabo Ward a secret, allowing her to move around freely without worry, though All-Might insisted he accompany her whenever she left the house.

On Monday, Izuka woke bright and early and dressed in the child-sized U.A Uniform, practically vibrating with excitement; today was the day she would finally get to see inside U.A and begin her tutoring! After breakfast and a big hug from her mother, Izuka hopped in Toshinori's car for the drive. "I see you're excited!" Toshinori grinned as he drove.

"I am! I've wanted to see inside U.A since I was a toddler, and now I'm gonna be a student! Even if it's only tutoring, but then I'll get to be a REAL student in High School!" Izuka gushed.

"Ha! I'm glad! But I have to ask, are you really okay with this? I know you and Young Katsuki are very close; would you rather being going to school with him and other children your age?" he asked, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

Izuka giggled; "It's okay! Kacchan is my only friend my age, and he practically lives with us!"

Toshinori smirked; Izuka was right too, they had moved into his home on a Wednesday and out of the four days they'd been there, Katsuki had stayed three times. He only begrudgingly went home Sunday evening so he would be ready for school the next day, though he promised he'd come back after school. The Pro-Hero was actually glad that Izuka had such a devoted friend, even if that friend did like to tease her a fair bit.

When the duo arrived at U.A, they were met at the front gate by a familiar man in black clothes and many grey scarves. "Eraserhead!" Izuka cheered, running over to him as soon as she got out of the car. "Thank you so much for the present on my Birthday, and for saving me from Kurogiri!" she said, bowing politely despite her massive excitement.

"You're welcome, kid. You already thanked me anyway, remember?" Eraserhead smirked.

Izuka straightened up and nodded. She had sent Thank You notes to all the Heroes that sent her presents, which unbeknownst to her, had caused Present Mic and Midnight to gush over the cuteness of the little drawings of Eraserhead, Recovery Girl and Nezu that she had put in their notes. "Anyway, I don't really go by my Hero name when not on active duty. I'm Shota Aizawa, nice to meet you." the tired man introduced.

"Ah! And I'm Izuka Midoriya, nice to meet you too, Aizawa-Sensei!" she smiled.

"So, how come you came to meet us, Shota?" All-Might asked.

Aizawa pointed at the U.A Barrier behind him; "It's the Summer Vacation right now, so the Security System is going through maintenance. Only the U.A Staff are allowed in right now, but Nezu made Izuka's I.D the same as a Teacher one to get around that. I'm here to collect her since you won't be allowed in, and to make sure she doesn't wander to places Students aren't allowed." he explained.

"I see. Well then, this is where I leave you, Young Izuka. Have a good day, and do your best!" Toshi said, kneeling down to stroke Izuka's hair. The little girl leaned into the touch and then hugged him tightly.

"I will! See you later, Toshi!" she smiled cutely.

"Come pick her up at 4 o'clock. If you don't show up on time, I'll let Hizashi and Nemuri fill her up with candy." Shota threatened, the deadpan expression making it clear he was very serious.

Toshi returned to the car with a wave and Izuka followed Aizawa-Sensei into U.A, looking around at anything and everything. As they walked, Aizawa spoke; "Nezu is actually not here right now. He's off dealing with a situation at the First Year Hero Course Training Camp. He'll be back by this afternoon, but he left me with instructions for the day."

Izuka nodded; "Aizawa-Sensei, don't you have a class yourself? I heard from Toshi that you're the Class 1-A Homeroom Teacher."

"I expelled them all within the first week." Aizawa said nonchalantly.

The small girl squeaked in shock; "R-Really!? What did they do!?"

"It's more what they didn't do. Every damn one of them thought that since they already got into U.A, they could screw around and not take it seriously, or worse, they were only in the Hero Program for their own sakes, to boost their ego or fame. I've got no room in my class for someone like that, so I kicked 'em out. Some got transferred to Support or General Education if their abilities or grades were good enough, but most left U.A altogether."

Izuka gulped. Aizawa-Sensei was actually quite scary, but he certainly took being a Hero seriously and had a rather fierce work ethic despite his lazy appearance. The girl couldn't help but feel respect bubbling up within her.

"Anyway, we're going to the staff room. You'll be taking some Equivalency Tests so we know what you need to learn or catch up on. Then we'll have lunch and this afternoon, I'll show you around the school while Nezu grades your papers. You got all that?" Aizawa asked.

"Yes Sensei!"

Aizawa smirked into his scarves; it seems this kid actually had the proper spirit. He decided he'd watch her carefully. The U.A staffroom was empty when they arrived, though a small child-sized desk had been placed next to Aizawa's and a small bag of cookies was sitting on it, a Good Luck note pinned to it.

"A gift from Lunch Rush, no doubt." Aizawa shook his head. Izuka's eyes sparkled at the gift and she carefully placed them into her backpack and sat down in her desk, her face practically glowing from happiness and excitement.

"I'm ready, Sensei!" Izuka declared. She'd already unpacked her things, namely her pencil case, eraser and notebook. Aizawa looked at the notebook with a raised eyebrow and Izuka opened it, showing it was blank.

"Hmm, being prepared is a good habit. Here are the tests; You have 45 Minutes for each one and I'll let you know when to start the next one." Aizawa handed over a packet of five test papers, which Izuka took with a grateful smile and set to work.

The tests were Math, Science, Japanese, English and Social Studies and Izuka tore into them with gusto. Aizawa settled at his desk to finish some paperwork, but truthfully, he spent most of his time watching the girl at his side. Izuka was focused completely on the papers in front of her, her tongue poking out the side of her lips in concentration. Aizawa was mildly surprised that she didn't seem to be struggling, with the only signs of difficulty being when she swapped to her notebook to perform calculations. This was surprising as the papers had been designed by Nezu himself, and from the brief glance Aizawa had given them, they were suited more to Eleven or Twelve year olds, not Ten year olds that hadn't been to school in a year. When Shota questioned Nezu on this, the infuriating mouse man had just waved him off and told him to wait and see.

Izuka finished each test within 30 minutes and spent the last 15 minutes of each one checking her answers, occasionally making small alterations or adding to her answers; another good study habit that Aizawa wished his older students would employ. The Underground Hero thought back to the reports he'd been given by Nezu the previous evening; they had been reports from Izuka's Elementary School and almost everyone said the same thing; Izuka Midoriya was an intelligent and very hard working young girl, but was cripplingly shy and lacked assertiveness, which Aizawa read as being a side-effect of bullying due to her not having a Quirk. He growled to himself under his breath; those teachers hadn't done anything about the bullying, all because the bullies had quirks and Izuka didn't. The man hated that the poor girl had to be kidnapped and tortured for that to change.

Finally, the last test was completed and Izuka sat back in her chair, stretching her arms and sighing with relief. "That was tougher than I thought it would be."

"You did good." Aizawa said approvingly, "I'm going to go grab us some lunch, you sit tight." he told her, handing her one of his juice pouches before standing up and heading for the cafeteria. It wasn't actually open, but Lunch Rush had stored a couple of bento boxes for Shota and Izuka in the fridge in his kitchen so no one snagged them… Aizawa couldn't count how many times he'd used his scarves to strangle Hizashi for eating his lunch! With lunch in hand, he returned to the staff room, only to sigh in irritation at the sight he was met with.

The other teachers had showed up…

Izuka was blushing, her eyes sparkling as she looked back and forth between all the Pro-Heroes surrounding her. Recovery Girl, Present Mic, Cementoss, Midnight, Thirteen, Snipe, Ectoplasm, Power Loader and Hound Dog were all sitting around her, introducing themselves or gushing over the cute child. They had all been told not to come to the Staffroom because of Izuka's tests, but now that they were finished, that order no longer applied.

"Will you all give the kid some space? She needs to eat." Aizawa deadpanned, handing the Bento to Izuka.

"Thank you, Aizawa-Sensei!" Izuka smiled as she took the box. Present Mic and Midnight promptly swooned at the adorable child.

"Shota! How could you keep this adorable little green bean all to yourself!?" Hizashi Yamada AKA Present Mic complained, ruffling Izuka's hair.

"I've been having her take tests, not playing!" Shota shot back.

"Aw, leaving this poor cutie taking boring old tests all day! How mean!" Nemuri said dramatically, picking Izuka up and depositing the girl in her lap. Izuka looked like she was in heaven, being fawned over by the Pros.

"It wasn't so bad. It was kind of fun actually; like solving a tough puzzle!" Izuka smiled.

"A good attitude to have. Have you been taking care of yourself properly?" Recovery Girl asked.

"Yeah! I've been eating a lot and resting, and I haven't used my quirks at all… uh, except once, when I got mad with someone." Izuka answered, feeling a bit guilty at the end.

"That doesn't sound like you. Was it a bad person?" the Nurse asked.

Izuka grimaced, thinking about her birth father, "He was." she said.

"Argh! Is someone bullying the Cinnamon Roll!? Who is it!? I'll beat 'em up!" Present Mic growled.

"Uh, not quite. What happened was..." Izuka told them the story of Hisashi Kintaro. The U.A Heroes all knew the truth about Izuka's quirk and what happened to her with All for One, so she felt it was safe to tell them.

"How despicable! A father abandoning his cub; I'd rip the fool apart!" Hound Dog barked.

"It's awful that he tried to take you away! We'll keep you safe." Thirteen added, petting the girl's hair. The Space Hero was a little upset that they couldn't take off their glove and touch the soft curls directly, especially since Midnight and Present Mic seemed to enjoy stroking them so much.

"Maybe we should reconsider working with the Kintaro Group in future." Power Loader commented, only for Izuka to become panicked.

"No! Please, don't do that! Hisashi is a bad guy, but Uncle Haru is really nice and a lot of people work at their companies! I don't want them all to suffer 'cause of me!" Izuka argued.

"Easy kiddo, I take it back. Jeez, no wonder you want to be a Hero; your heart is far too big!" Power Loader said, recoiling both from Izuka's words and the glares that the other Heroes shot him.

At that moment, Nezu walked in, carrying a pair of files and wearing an angry frown. Apparently the incident at the Training Camp hadn't ended well.

"Everything alright, Nezu?" Recovery Girl asked.

"Not really. The Incident was worse than I feared. Two of Blood King's students got into a petty argument that escalated to violence and quirk usage. A third student tried to peacefully intervene and had to be air-lifted to hospital for his efforts, and the Pussycats are furious, especially since their forest and camp ground was damaged. U.A has to foot the bill for the repairs and the medical bills for the injured student, that student will miss at least a month of school and the two instigators have been expelled." the Mouse Man grumbled as he placed the students' files on Blood King's empty desk.

"They got expelled? It must have been really bad." Izuka commented, resisting the urge to pet Nezu's head to comfort him.

"I was reluctant, since the two boys were very promising, despite their issues, but Blood King won't have them in his class any longer and if he won't, Eraserhead certainly won't." Nezu replied.

Aizawa snorted; "Damn right I won't. A Hero that hurts his own comrades is no use to anyone."

Nezu sighed and turned back to Izuka; "Never mind all that, it seems you're quite popular with my staff! How did you handle the exams?" he smiled.

"Tough, but I could handle it! If the tutoring is as tough as that, it should be really fun!" Izuka grinned, expressing the joy of a child that truly loved to learn.

Nezu felt cheered up by the smiling girl, "Very good! Now, you all go and give Izuka the tour while I grade these papers! It'll be nice to do some real teacher work again after this morning."

The Pros nodded and cleared out, hurrying Izuka out, though she gave a cheerful thumbs up to the Principal as she left. Nezu grinned; while he had a strong distaste towards humans for their treatment of him in the past, Nezu loved kids, which was why he decided to work as a Teacher. He sat at Aizawa's desk, not wanting to face the mountain of paperwork in his own office, and began to look through Izuka's tests. As he worked, his face turned from concentration, to astonishment, to pure joy!

Izuka had done amazingly well! The tests had been purposely hard to reveal her weaknesses, but somehow, she hadn't gotten a single question wrong! Her scores weren't perfect; some answers needed more detail and some had too much detail in the wrong area, but the overall answers were correct and well thought out. Izuka wasn't a super genius, but she was very intelligent, working at the level of a 13 year old, despite being 10 and not having been to school in a year.

Oh yes, Nezu could definitely work with this!

When Aizawa finally returned to the Staff Room a few hours later, Izuka trailing behind him a bit sleepily, he found the Principal eagerly writing a whole series of schedules. "Did everything go okay?" Nezu asked without looking up from his work.

"Yeah, the tour went smoother than I expected. The others ended up being roped into cleaning the Support Workshops after they trashed some of Power Loader's tools while showing off. Still, the kid had fun, right?" Aizawa said, turning to the little girl. Izuka nodded with a big smile, her sparkling eyes drooping a bit. It wasn't that late yet, but Izuka had had a busy day. "How did she do on the tests?"

"That depends. Do you want me to judge her on her age, or as a teenager three years older?" Nezu smiled.

Aizawa whistled; "That good huh?"

"As a 10 year old, she's a genius! As a 13 year old, she'd be considered the top of her age group. It's remarkable that she's learned so much!" Nezu declared.

Izuka blushed; "I like to study… it made Mom happy when I did well and it was the only way I could compete with the other kids before I got my quirk. I also used to hide in the library a lot when the other kids would bully me."

"You shouldn't sell yourself short here, Izuka. Your intelligence is a result of hard work; be proud. Especially after no education the past year..."

"Actually," Izuka cut the Principal off, "I did study with the Villains. The Warp Gate Villain, Kurogiri, would make me and Tomura study together at some bar he'd warp us to. All for One wanted us both to be smart for his plans, but Tomura hated it and made me do his work for him. If I messed up, Kurogiri would tell All for One that I was rebelling and I got punished. It was hard, but I suppose I got used to it."

Shota's eyes narrowed; "What sorts of things did they make you study?"

"The same sort of stuff in normal school I guess, since a lot of it was in the tests I just took. It was a bit skewed though; I was made to study a lot of stuff around Biology, Social Studies and History."

Nezu looked over to the test papers; Izuka's words made sense, Social Studies and Science were her best subjects by far and he could understand why All for One wanted her to study such things, after all, he was a man that experimented on others and sought to bring down the current structure of society… how better to continue his work than to learn the workings of the body, society and the various failures and downfalls of the past.

"Well, it seems the Villains and their atrocities have borne us another unexpected gift. Izuka, we'll be focusing on bringing up your Math and Language skills first, since those are your worst subjects. Once you're roughly at the same level across the board, we'll begin a more balanced curriculum. Sound good?" Nezu asked.

"Yes Sir! I'm looking forward to it!" Izuka grinned.

"Good good! Work hard, Little Izuka; I'm going to be pushing you hard." Nezu said, petting the girl's head.

And with that, Izuka's road to Heroism truly began.


	4. Road to UA Part 2

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 4: Road to U.A Part 2**

For three years, Izuka Midoriya trained and learned under her Pro-Hero teachers, strengthening her body and sharpening her mind, with her childhood friend Katsuki Bakugou at her side. As a result, much had changed for the now 13 year old Izuka.

Her tutoring with Nezu had been brutal, even compared to her physical training. The Mouse Principal pushed her hard, setting no homework but giving Izuka the kind of classwork more in line with High School Students than the Middle School/Junior High Student she was. Izuka had enjoyed the challenge and found her time with Nezu passing very quickly, with a whole day of lessons passing in what felt like minutes, though when she finally stopped, Izuka would often mentally crash for a while. Because of this, she only had classes on the Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with all other days devoted to training, but as a result, Izuka was at the level of a 16 year old in intelligence. At age 11, she had also begun direct tutoring in healing with Recovery Girl and was now adept in first aid without her quirk and was quick to diagnose illnesses and injuries, as well as good medicines to help treat them. Her Healing Ace was still her quirk though, and she used it whenever she didn't know how else to resolve an injury. Between her lessons with Nezu and her work in the Nurses Office, Izuka became quite well-known among the students of U.A, with most in the Hero Course having been healed by her at least once. Since she turned 13 and the new school year began, an enthusiastic boy named Mirio Togata had become a frequent patient and the two had struck up a friendship.

But it was in her physical development that Izuka really shone. She'd grown taller, and thanks to vigorous and dedicated exercise with All-Might, she'd managed to accumulate some lean muscle, primarily on her legs and abdomen, though her arms held a fair bit as well. Izuka was happy with her strength, which was easily on the same level as Katsuki, though she was less pleased with her physique. Because of the year of poor nutrition with the villains combined with inheriting her mother's genetics, Izuka would always have a short and petite figure. She was at least an inch shorter than the rest of her age group and was very slender, with only a hint of a womanly figure. This figure also made her muscles less noticeable, but at least she had them; without them, her limbs would be like sticks! Izuka still wasn't allowed to use One for All yet, as Toshinori was worried of the effect it would have on her slender frame. With Gran Torino, Izuka learned how to fight, practicing the basics of kick-boxing, Judo and Taekwondo as well as Acrobatics to create her own fighting style that revolved around using her flexibility, speed and strong legs to dance around an opponent and take them out with rapid kicks. She had named her style Phoenix Might, a name that symbolised her dual origin as holder of the Phoenix Quirk and Successor to All-Might. Izuka's work with Sir Nighteye was more like her tutoring than combat training, as it revolved entirely around Sir Nighteye providing her with a written situation and a set of constraints and tools with which to resolve it, turning difficult hero situations like sieges, hostage situations and natural disasters into complex puzzles.

Izuka took everything in and constantly worked to improve herself, with Katsuki proving to be an eternal source of support as well as a nearly indomitable rival. He studied hard in his own classes, becoming top of his class every year and building his strength and skills as a Hero as well. He joined Izuka in her Kick-boxing lessons and was much more skilled in it than Izuka herself. He and Izuka would spar frequently and were fairly evenly matched; Katsuki had raw power and was a combat genius, while Izuka was more skilled and adapted better to the situation. Over the three years of training, their wins were at 133 to 127 in Katsuki's favour.

Outside of training and learning, the two teens and their families and friends continued their lives quite happily. Sir Nighteye left All-Might's agency and started his own, deciding that now that All-Might had Izuka to become his Successor and future side-kick, it was time for him to begin making a name for himself as a full-fledged hero rather than a side-kick. He and All-Might had separated on good terms, with Sir Nighteye making a final joke that his leaving would give All-Might practice for when Izuka decided to break out on her own.

Toshinori was happier than he had been in years, as within three months of the Midoriyas moving in with him, he started a romantic relationship with Inko. The two were both quite shy, but very affectionate and Izuka absolutely adored Toshinori, whom she began calling Uncle Toshi. That nickname had only lasted until just a few months before Izuka's 13th birthday, and had been replaced by a new one; Papa. Toshinori asked Inko to marry him after two years of dating and Inko had said yes. Their wedding was small and only those that knew both All-Might's and Izuka's secrets had attended or even knew about it, but it was a wonderful day for all, with the wedding held in Toshinori's beautiful gardens and Izuka acting as Inko's Maid of Honour. Sir Nighteye was All-Might's best man, and Gran Torino (whom Izuka had taken to calling Grandpa) walked Inko down the aisle and gave her away. Inko and Izuka kept the name Midoriya for security reasons, though they both referred to themselves as Yagi-Midoriya.

The wedding had also been the day that Katsuki had made his move. He had teased Izuka about marrying her since her rescue, and over the years that followed, he had never let up on it. His teases started being accompanied by gentle touches, then hugs, then kisses on the cheek, but on that day, during the Wedding Reception, he had kissed on her on the lips for the first time. It was chaste and sweet, and for the first time, Izuka had seen self-doubt in Katsuki's face. She had ended that by returning the kiss, just as sweetly. Since then, very little had really changed outside of wording. Their hanging out became dates (they already went to restaurants and the movies together) and instead of referring to each other as friends, they called one another boyfriend and girlfriend and adopted more pet names. Izuka was Izuchan, Deku and Little Rabbit, while Katsuki was Kacchan, Lil Baku and My Lion. Both their parents had been supportive, though All-Might had been far too eager to use his new "Papa" status to give the threatening father talk to Katsuki.

Of course, Katsuki would have been very foolish to ignore the orders of All-Might…

And so life carried on, until the day Izuka got to be a Hero once again...

It was a cool October day when Nezu and Aizawa came to the Yagi Household. Izuka answered the door to them, smiling with surprise as she saw the visitors; "Nezu-Sensei, Aizawa-Sensei! What are you doing here?" she asked, moving aside so the two could come in. Toshinori wandered in from the den to see the guests, giving each a nod of acknowledgement. It was odd for the two teachers to be there, as it was Thursday; a Physical Training Day!

"We have come for a special reason. Your Physical and Mental Education has reached a fairly high level now, am I right?" Nezu asked.

Izuka blushed bashfully; "I think I'm making good progress!"

"You've gotten a lot stronger, but only in areas that everyone can." Aizawa cut in, "You have talents that others don't; beyond strength and intelligence."

"You mean my Phoenix Quirk?" Izuka asked.

"Correct. I also mean your Link Evolution Quirk. Tell me, have you really used either in the years since you've been free?" Aizawa asked.

Izuka thought about; she really hadn't used it much. She occasionally flew to escape Kacchan after teasing him or to correct herself if she tripped or fell. She rarely used her fire abilities; using it only to burn small bits of trash or to jump start a fire during her occasional camping trips with Kacchan. She hadn't died at all since being saved, and outside of her lessons with Recovery Girl, Izuka only ever healed the odd paper cut or bruise. She hadn't even thought of using Link Evolution since being saved. "Not really no. Just little things that everyone does I suppose."

"That's good, but we need to begin working on that. Most kids get their quirks as small children and experiment with it as they grow and learn to control it. You learned control while in captivity, but we want to help foster some creativity by giving you an opportunity to use both quirks in an appropriate environment." Nezu explained.

Aizawa nodded, before adding; "Plus, the big wigs in the Government and the Hero Union want to test out your Link Evolution for themselves and decided this was a good "Kill two birds with one stone" scenario."

Izuka tilted her head, "So I need to link up with someone and train my Phoenix Quirk?"

"In a simplified sense, yes." Shota grinned, "We've arranged a special Junior Hero Training Camp. We planned from the beginning to give you this sort of thing as an apprenticeship, but between all your training and the hunt for the remains of All for One's agents, we haven't had a chance to implement it. From here on out, your Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays will be Hero Work Observation and Quirk Training! Each week will be with a different Hero, usually a U.A Hero or someone from Sir Nighteye's Agency. Since it's a bit last minute, this week will only be Friday and Saturday, but we have to get there by this evening."

Izuka's eyes brightened "Really!? That's so cool! Who am I with first!? Is it you? Or Present Mic? Or Midnight?" she gushed, bouncing eagerly.

"Whoa there! Calm down a bit kid." Shota put his hand on her head to stop her bouncing. "Like I said, this was a bit last minute. I'm coming with you as your guardian, but my work is too dangerous for you to observe yet. Present Mic and Midnight wanted to, but both had prior engagements..." Aizawa said wryly, remembering how the two had glared and complained that they hadn't been asked sooner. Both had practically fought over the right to be her second Hero Observation. The other U.A teachers had grown so used to Izuka that they began thinking of her as a sort of mix between student and school mascot, but Present Mic and Midnight never grew bored of spoiling her or fawning over her.

"If it's not those two, then who is it?" Izuka asked, her excitement tempered by curiosity. She knew about practically every hero in the Top 500, and knew EVERY Japanese Hero (at least those with their own Agency).

"It's actually a Hero Duo that protects a small village in the mountains. Their name is Water Hose." Nezu spoke up.

"Water Hose! They're the super fire fighting heroes that made their debut fighting a massive forest fire at the base of Mt. Fuji, right? Taka and Konako Izumi, Hero names: Engine Red and Aquine! Engine Red can produce water from his palms and Aquine can control any water. They teamed up right out of school and married soon after." Izuka rattled off everything she knew about them.

Nezu and Toshinori chuckled, while Aizawa shook his head in exasperation. He had been worried that Izuka would be disappointed in working with such obscure Heroes, but it seemed this girl knew everything about them! Izuka quickly dashed upstairs before dashing back with a notebook in hand, specifically Volume 11 of her Hero Analysis books. Flipping through them, she turned the book to face the others, revealing a childish picture of the two heroes along with numerous facts and observations about them.

"Well, it's good you're eager." Toshi smirked, running his fingers through her long green hair, "Water Hose are based in Moncalama Village, right? That's a few hours away."

"I'll be driving her there myself. Water Hose has agreed to let Izuka and myself stay in their home during the Observation. I'll be there as additional support. Is it okay for us to go ahead with this? We would have gotten permission before now, but..."

"I know, I know." All-Might waved Aizawa off, "It was last minute. It's fine with me, but I should give Inko a call. She's having a spa day with Mitsuki!"

Izuka giggled; her Papa absolutely loved to spoil her and Mom. If either one of them smiled and hugged him, Toshinori would do anything they said, though both Inko and Izuka didn't have the heart to exploit this, creating a family that Aizawa exhaustedly referred to as "Eternal Newly-weds."

A quick phone call later and Izuka ran off to pack for the two day excursion, leaving Nezu, Aizawa and Toshinori in the foyer.

"No matter how hard we work her, she never loses that enthusiasm." Nezu smiled.

"Of course not! She's the daughter of the Number One Hero, and future Number One herself!" Toshi bragged. Aizawa sweat-dropped, he didn't know which title meant most to the enthusiastic Pro; Symbol of Peace or Izuka's Father. He certainly bragged more about the latter.

"Is Bakugou still competing with her?" Aizawa asked, knowing the boy also aimed to be Number One.

"Young Katsuki is as fired up as ever. The two have a very peculiar relationship; fighting fiercely in their training and then being all affectionate outside of it, but both have agreed to support the other and aim for Number One. I wager that when they become Pros, the two will constantly be switching between the Number One and Number Two positions as one overtakes the other." Toshi grinned.

Izuka chose that moment to come running back into the room, a yellow backpack over her shoulder. "I'm ready!"

Aizawa raised an eyebrow; "Sure you didn't forget anything? It doesn't look like you packed much."

"I have my training gear, two sets of clothes, my toothbrush and the notebook with Water Hose's info! Heroes can't be dragging loads of stuff with them in emergencies, so I only packed the essentials." Izuka replied, seeing through Aizawa's trick question.

The Underground Hero smirked; "Good, you remembered. Now say your goodbyes; we'll be heading off in one minute."

Izuka nodded and ran to hug Toshi, "Bye Papa! The lunch I made you is in the fridge, so make sure you remember to eat it!"

Toshi returned the hug and kissed the girl's forehead; "I will, my Girl! Enjoy yourself and work hard!" he turned to the Teachers; "Can I expect you back late on Saturday, or will you leave it until Sunday?"

"Sunday, so we both have a chance to relax." Aizawa answered.

All-Might nodded and walked the trio out to the car and waved as the trio drove off. As All-Might watched his daughter disappear into the distance, a sudden shiver went up his spine. "I suddenly have a bad feeling about this..."

Izuka felt a similar shudder, though she interpreted it as anticipation. The drive to Moncalama Village was a good three hours after getting out the city, so Izuka passed the time by participating in an impromptu lesson with Nezu while Aizawa concentrated on driving. The subject of the lesson revolved around how to deal with fires, namely kitchen fires, industrial fires, oil fires, forest fires and house fires. For most, this would have been simply a case of calling the Fire Brigade or grabbing the right Fire Extinguisher if it was a small fire, but for Izuka and her Pyrokinesis, it was much simpler. She simply pulled all the flame towards herself and absorbs it into her own body. Absorbing flames gave Izuka a boost of power like a Sugar Rush and also raised Izuka's body temperature and at high levels, could result in her getting a fever if she didn't expel the excess energy quickly enough. It was the only real limit to her Fire based abilities, since no fire could hurt her and hot objects would not burn her (even if they did make her uncomfortable). Paradoxically, because of Izuka's fire making her normal body temperature higher than normal, Izuka actually preferred cold weather, as it helped to regulate her high heat while hot weather made her uncomfortable but made her fire power stronger.

As they approached Moncalama Village and the Water Hose Agency, Nezu changed the subject to her Link Quirk.

"Izuka, do you still know how to actually perform the Link? It has been a long time." Nezu asked.

"I do. I just have to have skin-to-skin contact and, I'm not sure how to explain it, but I sort of meld my spirit with theirs? The best way of explaining it is that I hug them with my soul and then our souls hold hands." Izuka explained, struggling with the rather abstract concept of her Links.

"And what about the other aspects?" Aizawa asked, his eyes flicking to her in the rear view mirror, "The Evolution of the other person's quirk, the telepathy and your ability to use their quirk?"

"That's a little easier to explain; at least by feeling. The Telepathy is just like have a phone call in my head; I imagine it as thinking at each other through the phone and when I want to keep my thoughts to myself, I cover the receiver. As for using their Quirk, that is even easier; I have instinctive knowledge on how to use it, though I lose that knowledge when the Link ends." Izuka said with a smile.

"And the Evolution?"

Izuka tilted her head, deep in thought; "I...I can't really explain that well. The Linked Person's Quirk just gets stronger, or their body adapts to it better maybe? I only know what I saw, but I think the Quirk's owner can use the Improved and Unimproved versions separately if they wanted, and I know that the Improved Version is usually harder to control and takes more energy. Beyond that, I'm kind of clueless."

Nezu nodded; "If you can use a weaker version of the Linked Person's Quirk, then when their quirk evolves, are you also able to use a stronger version?"

"I don't think so. I only got to test Tomura's quirk, but even after his evolved, I still had the same restrictions as before." Izuka replied. When Tomura Shigaraki's Quirk evolved, he had been able to deactivate his quirk, rather than having it be automatic, and had also been able to use it from his feet if he wanted. Izuka had to touch all ten fingers to something to use it though as opposed to Tomura's five fingers on one hand, and when she did, the effect was automatic even after Tomura's Quirk evolved.

"Hmm, I'll keep a close eye on it. Nezu, what are you going to be doing while the Kid and I work?" Aizawa asked as they approached the Water Hose Agency.

"I'll be going down to the town at the base of the mountain, the one we passed through. The Police there have had some incidents with what they believe is a Villain, and this Villain matches the descriptions of one of the Villains in All for One's files. I'm going to review their evidence and the crime scenes to see if I can put more of a picture together." Nezu answered.

Izuka frowned; ever since her rescue, the Government had been ruthlessly hunting the Villains that had become associated with All for One. Many had been captured already thanks to All for One's detailed notes and descriptions on them, whom he considered his assets. Most of the small fry had been caught already, but many big shots like Tomura and Kurogiri were still running about, as well as several Noumus that were missing after the destruction of the Lab.

Her frown was wiped away when they came to a stop outside the Hero Agency, and Izuka jumped out of the car and ran to meet the Heroes she'd be training with and observing, Aizawa and Nezu hot on her heels. The Water Hose Agency was built in the style of a small Fire Station, complete with massive garage for a Fire Engine and Fireman poles!

"Wow! This place is so cool!"

"We're glad you like it!" declared two voices from within the building. Suddenly, two figures shot down from the Fireman Poles and formed a pose together which roughly resembled the kanji for Water. "We are Water Hose!"

Izuka's smile became impossibly huge; the couple wore the same costume, consisting of a red vest over a black body suit with white shoulder pads, gloves and boots. Over the left breast on the vests was a gold emblem like that of the Fire Department and each wore a helmet with a visor, mouth piece and a snorkel attached to the side of the mouth guard. "Amazing! The Fire Fighter Heroes; Engine Red and Aquine!"

The two heroes chuckled and took of their helmets. They had similar hair styles, with Aquine's being light brown and Engine Red's being black. Engine Red also had some light stubble on his upper lip. "Hello there, little Hero." Aquine greeted; "I'm Konako Izumi, AKA Aquine, and this is my husband Taka, AKA Engine Red."

"I'm Izuka Midoriya! I don't have a Hero Name yet, but I hope it'll be a cool one like yours!" Izuka gushed, before suddenly blushing and pulling her Notebook from her backpack, opening it to Water Hose's page; "I'm sorry but… would you please sign this?"

"Ha! I think you might be our second biggest fan, right after Kota of course!" Taka laughed, happily signing his name under the drawing of him. Konako did the same with a giggle, also taking the opportunity to pet Izuka's hair.

"Thank you so much! I love Rescue Heroes the best, though All-Might is my favourite! Um, if I may ask, who is Kota?" Izuka asked, beaming at the heroes and their autographs.

"Kota is our son." Konako smiled proudly, "He's staying with his Aunt Shino, my sister, this weekend. He's only three and is a good boy, but we felt it would be best to have him out of the way for this, so we can focus on you. Remember Midoriya, in an emergency, splitting your attention unnecessarily can lead to disaster."

Izuka nodded determinedly and wrote the quote in her notebook. "Um, when you said your sister Shino, do you mean Shino Sosaki? Sosaki is your maiden name, right?"

Konako nodded, making Izuka grin; "Then he's staying with Mandalay of the Wild Wild Pussycats!? He's really lucky having so many awesome heroes in the family!"

Nezu and Aizawa both sweat-dropped; _"This coming from the girl whose dad is the Number One!"_ they thought.

"Well I only came this far to ensure Izuka and Shota got here safely! I leave them in your care, Water Hose!" Nezu said, before marching off to Aizawa's car and driving away, leaving Izuka and the other Pros wondering curiously how he reached the pedals…

"I still can't figure out what that guy even is..." Taka muttered as he walked over to Aizawa, "Long time no see Shota. How've you been?"

Aizawa nodded and shook Taka's hand. "I've been good. Hizashi is still a pain in the ass and Nemuri has been bugging me about a class reunion. Not much else has gone on since the big rescue three years back."

Taka nodded and looked over to where his wife was showing Izuka around their Fire Engine. "So that girl is the one that was rescued? These three years have done wonders for her… I'm still sorry we didn't come to help, but Konako was pregnant at the time."

"I understand. Truth be told, I don't know if having anyone else would have been a great help; it almost ended in disaster regardless. All-Might is still not at 100%, though he'd be a lot worse if it weren't for Izuka's quirk." Shota said wistfully. He, Present Mic, Midnight, Ingenium and Taka had all been in the same class at U.A. Konako had been in Class 1-B.

"Speaking of her quirk..." Taka turned serious; "My wife and I volunteered to be Linked, but what does that really entail? I know it isn't supposed to be dangerous, but I worry for my wife and son."

Shota explained everything he could, using Izuka's own words from the car ride to help fill in the gaps in his knowledge. It certainly helped calm Taka's nerves and reservations. "Good… well, I think it's time we got this Mini-Internship underway!" he cheered, marching off to where his wife and Izuka were still talking. Aizawa followed along with a clipboard; his job was merely to observe and make a report on how well Izuka did.

As it was already halfway through the day, the Hero Duo gave Izuka a tour of their agency and the surrounding village. Moncalama was small with only a single train line, a couple of family run stores, a tiny elementary school and a handful of homes. It was a nice place and many residents were older couples in retirement or wealthy families that wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Water Hose were popular with the residents and many times, they were stopped so people could speak with them.

"Being personable is important for a Hero! It helps make people trust us, especially in dangerous situations when you need to take charge." Taka lectured. Izuka wrote down his every word, making a few old ladies chuckle and compliment her for her earnestness. By the time they returned to the Agency for dinner, Izuka had a small pocketful of sweets given out by those ladies.

Sitting down for dinner, Izuka also got a good look at the people behind the Hero Names. Konako was the clear boss of the family, with her husband following her every command even though their positions were reversed in the field. She was also a very passionate mother and took every opportunity to talk about her son or mother Izuka and even Aizawa. Taka on the other hand was an extremely jovial man with a habit of pulling silly pranks like squirting water from his finger with his quirk. Konako would always respond with a sigh before using her water control to dry whatever he'd soaked. Still, both were very passionate about Hero work and their little family and were very affectionate of each other. Aizawa had covered Izuka's blushing face with his scarves when the two had started calling each other pet names and kissing at the table.

The duo woke Izuka and Aizawa bright and early the next day and roped them both into their morning exercises. It was nowhere near as tough as All-Might's training, but Izuka still felt a bit tired by the time she'd finished the stretches, mile-long jog and 100 sit ups. "You handled that well." Taka commented as they sat down for breakfast after the training.

"Thanks. I usually do about that much as the warm up for my muscle training." Izuka smiled, politely eating her breakfast. Both Katsuki and Toshinori would wolf their food down as fast as possible, but Inko had been meticulous in ensuring her daughter used the proper manners. "So what are we doing today?"

"The most common Hero Work of all; Patrolling! Every day, the two of us patrol the perimeter of the village, then walk through the village itself. Then we patrol the roads and forest, walking along the forest trail to a cabin we use as a storehouse and down the mountain towards the town at the base. In total, we cover about 22 miles throughout the day." Konako explained, using a small map of Moncalama Village to show their patrol route.

"We usually split it up, with Konako patrolling from midnight to noon and then myself patrolling noon to midnight, so someone is always awake for our son and the village is always watched, but since we have you and Eraserhead, we decided to patrol altogether!" Taka grinned, "The local neighbourhood watch will pick up the slack for tonight."

Aizawa chose that moment to cut in, "Do not expect much in the way of action, Izuka. This is a fairly tight-knit community."

"Not all Hero Work is flashy and exciting, but I think this'll be fun anyway! It lets you get better acquainted with the public, right?" Izuka asked.

"Yep, and seeing us Heroes out on patrol also reduces local crime rates and increases faith in Heroes in general. In other words, the more of the easy and boring work we do, the less of the hard and dangerous work he have to deal with. Outside of the occasional fire, the only incidents around here are usually petty ones like the odd purse snatcher or kids shoplifting. Most of our work actually comes from people not being careful while camping in the woods and either getting stranded or causing a forest fire." Konako explained.

Izuka nodded and pumped herself up; she was really looking forward to this! Water Hose changed into their Hero Gear while Izuka showered and dressed in her training clothes, meeting the Pros outside.

"Now, before we start the Patrol, time to Link Up." Aizawa reminded them. Taka and Konako both nodded and took of a glove so they could have skin contact. Izuka took each hand in one of her own and focused on the feeling of her quirk, deep within her core. Firmly grasping the core of her being, Izuka coaxed it outward, causing her body to glow faintly as she directed the link to seek out the cores of the Pros and connect with them. Both Taka and Konako were overcome with a sudden sense of completeness, like they had recovered a piece of their souls that they hadn't noticed was missing. The two Pros glowed and when the glow subsided, Izuka released their hands.

"Amazing… I feel incredible!" Taka exclaimed. He pointed a finger at a nearby fence post and activated his quirk, shooting a stream of water with such force that it sliced through the metal post. "Holy crap! That's a lot of power!"

Konako eagerly tried out her own quirk. She lifted the water that her husband had produced but felt no difference. Twisting her face in concentration, she tightened her quirk's grip on the water, causing it to instantly freeze into a chunk of ice. With a laugh, she relaxed her hold and the ice turned into water again, then evaporated into mist. "My water control… I can change it's form now too!"

Aizawa's eyes narrowed as he wrote down his observations. Depending on the Quirk, Izuka's link would upgrade it in different ways; reducing negative effects, increasing power or expanding the scope of the quirk. Taka had his power greatly increased, while Konako, whose quirk couldn't be strengthened in the normal sense, had her depth of control magnified to even alter the form of the water she controlled.

The three turned to Izuka, whom was happily manipulating a small stream of water she had created. "This is why Water Hose is so successful… their quirks synergise perfectly! Engine Red can produce water and shoot it from his fingers and palms like a hose pipe, while Aquine can freely manipulate existing water. Together, you have a near limitless water source and someone that can control it in a way that would normally be impossible, resulting in an extremely affective fire fighting method… I need my note book." Izuka muttered to herself, amusing the watchers.

"I wrote it down, so you can copy it to your notes later." Shota said with a knowing smirk.

"Alright, thank you Sensei! Water Hose Senseis, shall we go?" Izuka asked, eager to begin the patrol.

Taka smirked, _"Let's do it!"_ he said over the Link. Konako and Izuka giggled and the group moved out, ready for whatever the day would bring.

[WITH NEZU]

Since leaving Izuka and Shota in the care of Water Hose, Nezu had been hauled up in the police department of the neighbouring town; Mari Town. He had been immediately shown to the office that was devoted to searching for this mysterious villain that was behind the town's recent incidents. The incidents were all of a similar nature; a small and usually isolated area of the town would suddenly become a disaster area, with damage like that of a wrecking ball all over the scene. At each one was at least one body, always with the same cause of death; crushed by a massive blunt force.

It took Nezu all night and most of the morning to comb over every file, incident report and crime scene photograph, methodically creating a criminal profile and matching it against known villains, with particular attention being paid to those associated with All for One.

By the time he was finished, the Mouse Hero had come to a single conclusion; Muscular. A Villain that was known for being extremely violent, with a Muscle Augmentation Quirk. With the sort of strength he could conjure up, it would be easy to wreck buildings and crush people. To make matters worse, he was one of the Villains mentioned in All for One's plans for Project Phoenix. Nezu was just about to grab his phone and call Aizawa when a Police Detective ran in.

"Nezu sir, there's been a major incident! A Suspicious Individual was seen going up the mountain to Moncalama Village! One of our patrol cars tried to intercept but was destroyed and now the road has been blocked by wreckage; we only barely got our men out alive!"

"What did the person look like!?" Nezu demanded.

"A Man, 6ft 5 inches, short blond hair in a spiky style, wearing a dark blue tank top, black pants and boots, with a dark green jacket tied around his waist." the Detective reported.

"Damn it!" Nezu cursed, rapidly calling Aizawa. "Aizawa!"

" _What is it?"_ came the tired voice over the phone.

"A Villain is heading your way. He is highly dangerous and is associated with All for One; keep Izuka away from him at all costs." Nezu ordered.

" _SHIT!"_ Aizawa swore as what sounded like an explosion went off on the other side of the line.

"What's happening!?" Nezu yelled, but the line went dead… "Damn it… Shota, Izuka, please be alright!"


	5. Road to UA Part 3

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 5: Road to U.A Part 3**

Aizawa was feeling on edge as he ran alongside Water Hose and Izuka. Their patrol had been going so well for the last couple of hours, with nothing but a few old ladies or little kids stopping to talk to them. That had all changed moments before, when a distant explosion caught the attention of the whole village and a plume of black smoke could be seen coming from the road that led down the mountain. Aizawa had wanted to bundle Izuka up and hide her back at the Agency while the Pros handled it, but Taka had been certain it was a car accident, in which case it would be helpful to have a fireproof healer on hand.

Eraserhead was torn from his thoughts when his phone began to ring. Without losing pace, he took the device from his pocket, noticing Nezu's name as the caller. Putting it to his ear, he was immediately met with the Principal practically screaming his name down the phone _"_ _Aizawa!"_

That certainly didn't improve his mood; if something got Nezu that worried, it must be bad. "What is it?" he asked tiredly. He was NOT in the mood for this shit...

" _A Villain is heading your way. He is highly dangerous and is associated with All for One; keep Izuka away from him at all costs."_ Nezu ordered.

Aizawa's eyes widened. If a Villain was here, was he hunting for Izuka? Which one was it; Kurogiri? Tomura? Whoever it was almost certainly responsible for the accident. He just hoped no one had died; he really didn't want to deal with that, and he REALLY didn't want Izuka to see that. Just as he was about to demand details, the building they were running past suddenly exploded, blown apart by a powerful blow that sent dust and chunks of brick and mortar flying in all directions. "SHIT!" Aizawa swore, losing his phone in the chaos. The force of the explosion sent Aizawa and the Pros flying into the building across the street, with Aizawa only barely having the time to grab Izuka in his capture weapon and cradle her against his chest cushioning her as they slammed into the hard wall. Aizawa felt his head smack into the wall hard, followed by the descent into darkness.

Izuka coughed, winded by the impact. "What happened…?" she said, dazed and scared by the sudden explosion. As her mind cleared and she regained her senses, Izuka observed the area and immediately began implementing her lessons. First, observe your surroundings for immediate threats. Izuka scanned the area carefully, but saw very little through the dust and rubble. She could hear screams of panic in the distance, but no immediate danger, only the lingering threat of whatever had caused the explosion. Certain she would not be immediately attacked, Izuka began searching for the injured.

Engine Red and Aquine were both to Izuka's right and were dizzy but had no serious injuries. Engine Red had struck a window and shattered it, receiving a few shallow cuts to his arms, while Aquine had hit a thin chain link fence that had bent, but not broken from her hitting it, as a result, she was shaken but unhurt. Then there was Aizawa, who had saved her from serious injury by taking the brunt of the collision. The man was unconscious and Izuka desperately wanted to apologise and thank him, but there would be time for that when the emergency was resolved.

"Aquine, please cover me while I heal Eraserhead and Engine Red!" Izuka shouted, conjuring her pink flames and pressing them to the bleeding wound on Aizawa's head. Izuka felt the flames carefully, relaxing only a little when she sensed the swelling of Aizawa's brain go down and the crack in his skull healing. Not wanting to risk using more blood, Izuka pulled her first aid kit from her pocket and patched up the cut. It would be annoying for Aizawa, but not dangerous. Water Hose watched her with mild awe, impressed by how well she'd adopted Recovery Girl's training. Izuka was just about to finish healing the last of Taka's wounds when a sinister laugh sounded from across the slowly settling dust cloud.

"So… we've got a little medic running around do we?" the voice sneered. The figure stepped out of the dust, revealing a tall and buff blond man with hair that was the same shade and style as Katsuki's, though shorter. He wore plain black pants and boots with a dark green jacket tied around his waist and a tight dark blue tank top that showed off his rippling muscles. The man's expression was sinister, his smirk clearly showing how much he enjoyed the destruction and pain he inflicted while his eyes shone with the desire to cause more.

"A Villain!? Is he responsible for the incident on the road as well!?" Engine Red growled, getting to his feet and gently pushing Izuka behind him.

"The road? Oh! Those pussy cops that tried to stop me! I just smashed up their car and sent 'em flying! It worked out well actually, now I've blocked the road, I can rampage as much as I want in this backwater village. You guys Heroes?" the man asked.

"We are Water Hose! We protect this village!" Konako shouted, taking a combat stance along side her husband.

"Oh ho! That's just great! The name's Muscular and I..." muscle fibres began to emerge from all over Muscular's torso and wrap around him, making him appear as though his body was made of massive, exposed muscle tissue. "…am going to kill you!"

Without another word, Muscular leapt at the Heroes, aiming a punch at both. Neither Hero could take a punch capable of levelling buildings, so they dodged away, Aquine holding Izuka tightly as she jumped. Muscular turned his attention on the two females and began to charge them, only for a powerful water jet to slice into his left arm. Muscular barely flinched, manipulating his muscles to repair the damaged section as his attention shifted to Engine Red, whom was trying to lead the villain back towards the building he'd already broken.

Using the Link's Telepathy, he relayed his plan; _"Aquine, I'm going to keep slicing at this guy, I need you to stay behind him and prevent my attacks from causing collateral damage! Izuka, when he's distracted, grab Aizawa and fly to Mari Town. Call for Reinforcements and then stay there!"_ Engine ordered.

" _I've got it!"_ Izuka thought back. Aquine nodded and put Izuka down, patting her cheek with a comforting smile before running to join her husband. She immediately took up a position behind Muscular and whenever he turned to face her, she'd use her superior speed to get behind him while her husband peppered the Villain with razor sharp jets of water. As each jet sliced through Muscular, Aquine would manipulate the water, creating a cloud of mist to obscure his vision or freezing his legs. Water Hose were doing well, dodging around Muscular's wild blows and keeping all damage limited to the area that the villain had already levelled.

The Villain barely seemed bothered, laughing and restoring his damaged muscles; as long as no attack hit his original body within the muscles, he could fix the damage easily, and the freezing of his legs did little more than slow him down as he easily shattered the ice. The mist was more of a problem though, and Izuka took it as an opportunity to make her move, conjuring her fire wings and darting at Aizawa before picking him up and flying as fast as she could towards the town, doing her best not to think about the sounds of battle happening behind her.

As she flew over the road leading to the town, Izuka noticed the car wreck that blocked the narrow road. An Ambulance, several police cars and a tow truck were already surrounding the wreck, trying to move it so the authorities could get to the Village. Spotting Nezu with them, Izuka flew down and landed beside the ambulance, carefully laying Aizawa down.

"I need help! Eraserhead hit the back of his head against a wall. I healed the swelling and cracked skull, but he still has a bad cut and hasn't regained consciousness." Izuka explained as the Paramedics took Aizawa into the ambulance.

"Good work Izuka. What is happening in the village?" Nezu asked urgently.

"A Villain named Muscular has attacked. He's levelled a building and is fighting Water Hose. I escaped with Eraserhead after Aquine gave me some cover." Izuka reported, "The Villain's quirk seems to be a powerful form of Muscle Augmentation, Generation and Control."

"Damn, how can we deal with that!? With Eraserhead unconscious, we've lost our only counter!" one of the Police Officers said angrily.

"How are Water Hose handling it?" another asked.

Izuka explained their tactics, clearly showing how impressed she was with the Heroes, but the odd look in Nezu's eyes unsettled her. It was true that Muscular wasn't really losing, but they were evenly matched and…

Izuka went pale.

Water Hose was evenly matched, but they were using the empowered versions of their quirks. The empowered versions they only received hours before. Their stamina wouldn't last until reinforcements came… they'd lose their strength and then Muscular would…

"I need to go!" Izuka declared, flying back up.

"Izuka! No, it's too dangerous!" Nezu shouted, but it was too late; Izuka was already gone, using her flames to speed up her flight and rocketing her towards the enemy.

As she flew, Izuka tried to contact the two heroes over the link, but found it hard to get through. Their thoughts were jumbled and erratic, but a clear feeling made it's way through the link.

Pain.

"No! I won't let it happen!" Izuka screamed, applying another burst of speed to her wings. She quickly closed in on the disaster area and saw the Villain and Heroes. Muscular was standing strong, Engine Red was on the ground at his feet and Aquine was held by the throat. Both were bruised and bleeding, Engine's right arm looked badly broken and Aquine's left foot was completely crushed.

Anger filled Izuka and instead of slowing down, she coated herself completely in her fire and slammed into Muscular with all her momentum, releasing it at the last moment to make herself bounce off her own flames and grab Aquine from Muscular's grip as the villain was sent smashing into the ground. Muscular roared in surprise and pain as he hit the ground, the force of the blow making him sink a good two feet into the earth, though his muscles protected him from most of the actual damage. Izuka deposited Aquine on the roof of a nearby building, ignoring her cries for her to stop as she raced to repeat the process with Engine Red. Unfortunately, Muscular read her movements and with a powered up smack from his palm, he swatted Izuka out of the sky and caused her to crash into the ground.

Izuka screamed in pain; her flames had protected her a bit, but her right arm and several ribs were broken from the blow. The girl felt tears pricking at her eyes at the horrid pain, but choked them down and got back to her feet.

"I'm surprised you survived that! I expected to have splattered you like a bug!" Muscular taunted, "But you're about to cry, and you can barely stand. A little girl like you has no place here; so DIE!"

Izuka barely had a chance to dodge the sudden attack. Activating her wings, she dodged backwards and shot a few fireballs at the villain as his fist collided with the ground where she had just been standing, but the flames did little more than damage the surface of the muscles, which was almost immediately repaired. Izuka cursed as she was forced to dodge another swing; her fire couldn't get through him! If she turned up the heat any more, she'd cause collateral damage and might even kill the Villain, something she couldn't bring herself to do.

" _Focus Izuka! You've trained with All-Might and he's tougher than this guy!"_ Izuka thought, ducking and weaving around the blows. She noticed Engine Red was slowly edging himself away from Muscular, aiming to get out of the Villain's range and then strike with his water again. _"I need to stop and observe… The only way to damage Muscular is to harm his original body within the muscle mass. The villain can only use close combat, so attacking at range is safest, since no physical blow will get through, but no ranged attack we have is powerful enough! If only I'd linked with Aizawa-Sensei too!"_ Izuka ducked beneath another swing, taking that opportunity to punch at Muscular's stomach with a flaming fist.

That was her first mistake.

Immediately, the muscle fibres covering Muscular's abdomen stretched out like ropes and wrapped around Izuka's left arm, preventing her from escaping. She twisted and pulled and even coated her body in flame, filling the air with the smell of cooking flesh as Muscular's expanded muscles burned. The Villain smirked; "I've got you now… your arm is caught, but don't worry; I'll fix it!" he said sadistically, before raising his augmented fist and slamming it down on Izuka's forearm.

The pain was blinding and a tortured scream ripped itself from Izuka's throat as the force of Muscular's blow tore through bone, muscle and flesh, causing Izuka's arm to be literally smashed off. The girl stumbled backward, barely coherent from the pain, tears pouring down her face as blood burst from her ripped off arm. Her breathing was ragged and all her senses were dulled by the overwhelming pain, but she was vaguely aware of the screaming of Water Hose, shouting her name and cursing the villain.

"Here's a lesson for you, kid." Muscular said, throwing Izuka's disconnected arm at the Heroes, "Right and Wrong doesn't depend on laws or any of that society shit; it all depends on if you have the guts and power to follow through with your words. I can, so no matter what I do..." he raised his fist, "I am in the right!"

"LIKE HELL!" Izuka roared, rolling away from the attack. "If the one with the most power is the one whose right, then that means All-Might is the only person whose right, and that means..." Izuka silently apologised to her papa; she was about to break her promise. "THAT PEACE IS THE ONLY RIGHT PATH!" she declared, activating One for All.

Her body glowed as her veins were illuminated by red light and green lightning began to spark around her. Izuka only knew the bare essentials on activating One for All, but this was all she could do now! Pouring the power into her legs, Izuka leapt at Muscular, ignoring the blinding pain of her legs snapping. She threw back her broken arm and made a fist, ready to deliver the final blow; "PHOENIX SMASH!" she screamed, throwing the fist with 100% of her power.

That was Izuka's second mistake.

At the apex of her punch, as the full power of One for All coursed through Izuka's weakened arm, the damaged limb burst; exploding into a mess of bone and viscera. Izuka was so stunned, she didn't even feel the pain (or maybe her brain had simply been overloaded with the pain that she'd gone into shock). Her eyes widening, she remembered a conversation with Papa from a few months into her training.

 _Izuka was panting on the ground, having failed to lift the heavy weights that All-Might had set out for her."S-Sorry All-Might! I'm not strong enough yet..." she whimpered, not wanting to face her hero's disappointment._

 _All-Might just chuckled, "It's fine; you're only young and your body is fairly frail regardless. This is why we're strengthening it! You can't use One for All like this."_

" _Because it'll damage me?" she asked with a sniffle, daring to look up at her idol._

 _All-Might felt arrows striking his heart at the adorable pout and watery eyes on the face of his Successor, "Indeed! Think of One for All as the sum convergence of the peak strength of each of its wielders. A weak and frail body won't be able to handle such power… Your limbs would explode!"_

"I can't believe I allowed myself to forget that..." Izuka muttered, falling face down in the dirt. If she had been in good condition, she might have managed it, but with her arm already badly shattered, the power of One for All tore it apart.

"Damn girl, I've got to give you credit!" Muscular laughed, crouching over her fallen form; "You've got a damn fine spirit. But without power, you can't do anything. Don't worry though..." Muscular prepared his biggest blow yet; "You won't be alone in the afterlife for long."

"IZUKA!" Water Hose screamed together, unable to move as Muscular slammed down a fist that was coated with so much muscle, it was larger than his entire body. Izuka's body was completely crushed by the blow, and Izuka felt nothing at all.

" _I died..."_ she thought as she was once again thrust into the empty void she had become so familiar with.

In the void, Izuka could do nothing but think until the resurrection occurred, which left her with 200 seconds until she awoke… but on the bright side, when she was resurrected, her body and stamina would be completely restored. _"Water Hose, please hold out for just a little while longer!"_

With that, Izuka quickly began focusing on how to defeat Muscular. At first glance, it was damn near impossible; he was physically tougher than anything they could normally dish out. Taka's empowered water shots could pierce his muscles, but not by much and Izuka's flames could do the same. Izuka was certain that if she could get just a single good punch in on his true body, she could end the fight immediately, but she needed to find the proper opening.

" _Think Izuka; what did I observe? Taka's water shot caused damage that healed almost instantly, no more than a second delay in Muscular replacing the damaged muscle. Freezing his limbs did nothing but slow him by a second or two, and using water vapour as mist kept him blind, but didn't actually slow him down. My fire did some damage too but..."_

Izuka felt a sudden rush of hope, _"That's it! My flames damaged him, but he took longer to replace it! It takes a second to restore the muscles that were cut, but the muscles I burned took three seconds! It's not a lot, but every second counts! But where to strike… I need a gut or head strike to knock him out. If I'm fully restored, I can risk using One for All with some fire to burst through, but I need to know where to strike."_

The answer came to her as she replayed Muscular's every move in her head; no matter how much he coated himself in muscle, there was always one spot he kept exposed; his left eye! Muscular's quirk could coat his body, but if they covered his head completely, he lost all perception, so he kept his left eye exposed so he could see where he was going and attacking. Izuka internally smiled; she had a plan! Now it was time to implement it!

Back in the world of the living, Engine Red and Aquine were back in the fight, screaming furiously as they used all their power to push Muscular back. The man was laughing, taunting them for failing to protect the girl and every word cut into them, hurting more than any blow. They were both reaching their limit, but they had to keep fighting, or the Villagers would be killed!

Just as hope was about to run out, a bright flash of light shone from one of the craters from Muscular's earlier punches. "What the hell?" the Villain muttered, when a burst of fire suddenly erupted from the crater and smashed into him, making him wince and growl from the pain. "No way…!?"

Exploding out from the crater, Izuka rose into the air, coated in fire and with her wings fully extended, creating the image of a Flaming Angel. Taka and Konako gaped at the sudden appearance of the girl and Izuka winced at the looks in their eyes; she thought that since they'd been told of her Link Quirk, they'd also be told about her Resurrection one! Izuka would be having words with Nezu later… after she stopped being scolded by her mentors and parents.

" _Engine Red, Aquine, I have a plan!"_ she sent over the link.

" _I-Izuka!? How is this possible!?"_ Engine shot back.

" _There's no time! I'll explain later, I promise, but for now please listen!"_ Izuka said, before explaining her plan. Water Hose was at the limit, so they only had one shot at this, and if Izuka died again, it would be almost three and a half minutes before she revived; more than enough time for Muscular to kill the Heroes and secure her body if he started being serious.

As for Muscular, he looked at the girl with awe and a slowly growing evil grin. "OH HO! You're that brat from Project Phoenix! The one that the boss was always going on about! Shit, if I drag you back to Misty and the Hand Guy, I'll be fucking set for life! COME HERE!" he roared, leaping at her.

That was the moment she needed. Izuka immediately began the plan by shooting as much water as she could from her left hand (using Taka's Linked Quirk) and manipulated it towards Aquine while her other hand shot flames at Muscular to force him to heal and stop his attack. She needed to generate the water herself, as she needed Taka to save all of his remaining strength for one final shot. Aquine used the provided water to immediately create a massive veil of mist over both Muscular and Izuka, blinding them both, then tightened her grip, causing all the mist to concentrate itself on the Villain while Izuka used her flames to warm herself. The mist gathered around Muscular and froze, leaving him momentarily immobilised. Taka took that moment and made his shot, using Izuka's flames as a guiding light. Izuka dodged at the exact perfect moment, causing Muscular to be unable to see and defend in time and allowing the water shot to slice into his unprotected face. It cut upward from his upper lip, up his left cheek and continuing on to his hair line, destroying his left eye as it went.

Muscular screamed and recoiled in pain, no longer focused on breaking the ice and instead on protecting his injured face. Izuka stopped this with a flash of her fire, burning the muscles that had begun moving to cover the area, providing Izuka with the three second window she needed to conjure up as much flame as she could in her right arm, empowered with the full force of One for All.

Izuka gambled everything on this one strike, offering a prayer that her arm wouldn't be destroyed before delivering the blow. Her prayer was answered; "PHOENIX SMASH!" she roared, driving her fist into Muscular's exposed face.

The girl ignored the shattering of her bones. She ignored the feeling of Muscular's jaw breaking and his cheekbone snapping. She ignored the sizzling sound of her flames touching Muscular's blood and the disgusting smell it produced. She ignored it all, focusing solely on the one thing that always drove her; she needed to protect someone!

Muscular crashed into the ground, sinking at least a foot into the earth from the sheer force of the blow. He lay there, battered, bleeding and broken and within a second, he passed out.

"We did it..." Izuka grinned, before the pain of her arm caught up with her. With what strength she still had, she flew over to Aquine, whom had been joined by Engine Red. "Sorry, Senseis. I'm going to make you mad again..." she whispered, no more strength for words. She summoned up her pink flames and pushed them against Taka's broken arm and Konako's crushed foot, before feeling the last of her energy fade, though this time, Izuka welcomed the comforting embrace of unconsciousness.

Izuka slept soundly for 24 hours after that. When she finally regained consciousness, she was in an unfamiliar hospital room. "Ah..." she whined, feeling pain shoot up her right arm. Sitting up as gently as she dared, Izuka looked down at herself; her arm was in a cast, it didn't appear to be broken any more, just tender.

"You're awake!" shouted a voice, startling Izuka.

The girl turned and saw there were two other beds across the room, occupied by Taka and Konako. Izuka looked at them guiltily; Taka's arm was still in a sling and Konako's foot was heavily bandaged. "Senseis..."

"Thank goodness you're alright! What possessed you to use the last of your strength to heal us? We would have been fine!" Taka asked worriedly.

Izuka looked at her hands sadly, "It was my fault… I didn't warn you that your improved quirks took more energy. If I had, you might not have been hurt!"

"Don't be stupid." came a new voice. Izuka looked up and saw a whole crowd of people coming into the room. Her Mom and Papa, Aizawa, Nezu, Recovery Girl, a woman she didn't recognise, a little boy, and Katsuki had all come in. It had been Aizawa-Sensei who spoke, and he continued; "Izuka, I know you don't have as much experience with your quirks, but Pros like us have had years. We notice every little detail about them."

Inko and Toshinori went to hug their injured daughter as Aquine spoke, "Shota's right." Konako said, "We noticed the increased energy requirement immediately. We still fought that way because we had to. Izuka, if you hadn't given us those improvements, we would have died."

Taka nodded, "You saved our lives twice. You also saved my wife's Hero Career."

"Huh?"

Recovery Girl stepped forward; "Konako's foot was utterly destroyed. There was nothing I or any doctor could have done to restore it, and so Konako would have had to have it amputated and then retire. Your healing quirk was able to reverse the damage enough that I could perform surgery and save the limb."

Izuka's eyes widened. It was true that her healing was different from Recovery Girl's; the latter's power worked by using the patient's stamina to rapidly speed up the healing process, while Izuka's power worked by literally burning away the injury and rebuilding the damaged area according to the biological blueprints in the patient's DNA, hence why it always needed at least a single drop of the patient's blood. It was the same basis as her Resurrection, rebuilding Izuka's body from even the smallest, most damaged cell.

At that moment, the little boy shyly approached Izuka, looking at her nervously, "Hey, Big Sis? Did you really save my Mommy and Daddy?"

Izuka looked at the boy, recognising some of the features of Water Hose. This was undoubtedly their son; "You're Kota, right? Your Mommy and Daddy told me about you! I did help them, but really, we saved each other. It was their hard work that stopped the bad guy from destroying the village."

Kota looked up at her with awe and the adults in the room, plus Katsuki, all shared a knowing smirk. That was the exact same face that Izuka herself wore when talking to All-Might. Toshinori smiled warmly; his little successor had gained her first fan. "T-Thank you, Big Sis!" Kota cried, jumping onto Izuka's bed and hugging her. Izuka flinched a bit when he touched her wounded arm, but she grinned widely and hugged him back regardless. "You're my favourite Hero!"

Izuka felt like her heart would burst; "R-Really? What about your Mommy, Daddy and Aunt? They're all amazing heroes too! And All-Might and Eraserhead too! There are a ton of better Heroes than me!" she said embarrassedly.

"Nuh uh! They didn't save my parents! You did! Phoenix is the best Hero!" Kota argued, looking very serious despite his adorable three year old face.

Shino Sosaki, AKA Mandalay of the Pussycats picked Kota up, smiling and bowing as she did so. "You saved my sister and her husband, as well as saved Kota from being an orphan. Thank you so much. If there is anything I can do for you, I will!"

"Um… the is something..." Izuka blushed, "Could you sign my notebook?"

The adults all laughed and Aizawa handed the notebook to Mandalay, opening it to the page devoted to her. The Hero looked at the picture of herself and smiled, but it was the notes that were impressive. "Wow, you're really observant. No wonder you came up with such an amazing plan..." Mandalay signed her name beneath her picture and handed the book to Izuka, whom hugged it like a priceless treasure.

"Sorry to ask this, but we need to discuss some secret information with Izuka. Do you mind taking Young Kota to another room for a bit?" All-Might asked.

Mandalay nodded with a wink to Izuka, before walking away, Kota enthusiastically waving to Izuka as they left. Izuka waved back, then turned to her papa, "I'm in trouble, aren't I?" she asked guiltily.

"A little bit." Toshinori admitted. "Let me fill you in on what happened..."

Toshinori began explaining what had happened after Izuka passed out. Only a minute or two later, Aizawa and the Police had arrived on the scene, having cleared the wreckage only a few minutes after Izuka had flown back into the fray. Aizawa had regained consciousness literally seconds before Izuka flew off and would have used his quirk to stop her if she hadn't been so high and flying so fast. When the Emergency Services arrived, Izuka and Water Hose had been taken to the Mari Town Hospital, while Muscular had been taken to Tartarus Prison after receiving enough medical care to ensure he wouldn't die in transit. Apparently, the Villain has just wanted to rampage and kill with his quirk and thought the isolated village would be a good place to do it with minimal interruptions. He hadn't known about Izuka until she resurrected, when he decided to try and take her to All for One's men. Unfortunately, Muscular was able to improve every muscle except his brain and didn't actually know how he'd have made contact with them, leaving the Police with no clues on how to find the other villains. In the grand scheme of things, they were back to square one in their hunt, but on the bright side, a very dangerous person had been captured.

Inko, Toshinori and Recovery Girl had been called by Nezu as soon as Izuka flew off and had arrived while Water Hose was in surgery to repair their damaged limbs, Mandalay and Kota arriving moments after. Katsuki had been brought the next day and arrived only a little while before Izuka woke up. His parents were currently in Mari Town, securing a hotel room for the night. When Taka and Konako had gotten out of surgery and woken up, they had reported the battle with Muscular from their point of view, including Izuka's death and revival. They had been upset that they hadn't been warned, though this anger was aimed more at Nezu and Aizawa than Izuka herself, though they ultimately accepted it was important to keep it secret. All-Might whispered that they didn't know about One for All though.

Ultimately, the whole incident had ended with only six injuries; Izuka, the three Pro Heroes and the two police officers whose car was wrecked. None would have injuries lasting more than a week (thanks to Izuka and Recovery Girl) and the destroyed building was only a storehouse containing defunct radio equipment from WW2, when the village was a communication post for the Japanese Army. All in all, it handed ended very well.

"Izuka, I'm a little upset that you jumped into the fray despite not being a full-fledged Hero yet, as well as breaking your promise not to use your Strength Quirk." Toshinori began, "But I truly can't fault you for it… if you hadn't, Engine Red and Aquine would have died, along with who knows how many civilians and police officers. Still, I want you to think on how you could have done things better."

Izuka nodded sadly. Despite doing so well, she knew it was sloppy. How was she going to keep her Quirk secret if she got herself killed in every battle? She thought back over what happened in the battle, and with the benefit of hindsight and a clear mind, she could see several mistakes. She could have escaped with the injured Heroes. She could have flown around, getting civilians out of the combat zone. She could have stayed out of Muscular's range and peppered him with fireballs until the back up arrived. She could have forced a link with the unconscious Aizawa to nullify the Villain's quirk. She could have used One for All in her legs, as opposed to her arms, which might have saved her from dying since her legs were stronger and uninjured (at least until she foolishly jumped with One for All instead of using her wings), plus the three and a half minutes it took her to revive could have been all it took for Muscular to kill the Heroes. As each mistake came to mind, Izuka's grimace grew and her hands gripped the bed sheets in a white knuckled grip. She could have done so much better; sure she had won, but it had been a lucky victory.

"It's frustrating, right? To have your failures right in front of you." Aizawa said, his voice neutral but his eyes showing sympathy, "Use this frustration to improve yourself. You weren't the only one to screw up. I should have been more observant."

"We should have used our improved Quirks more conservatively." Konako said, gesturing to Taka and herself.

"I should have realised the enemy's identity sooner." Nezu added.

"No one is perfect Izuka. Every Hero has made mistakes; what matters is the will to learn from them." Toshinori finished, cupping the girl's cheek in one hand and rubbing softly with his thumb.

Inko hugged her daughter, whom was bawling at this point. "We love you Sweetheart. You are our little hero; don't forget that."

"If you do, I'll kick your ass!" Kacchan growled, his feral smirk not matching his worried eyes.

"I'm sorry for worrying you Kacchan..." Izuka said with a sad smile.

"Tch, you didn't..." Kacchan blushed at the sceptical looks from the adults, "Okay, fine, I was worried. But I still knew you'd win. But seriously, next time you freak me out like that, I'm locking you in my house and making you become a Housewife!"

Izuka giggled. She knew Katsuki well enough to know he'd never do such a thing. The very idea of Izuka being a dutiful housewife was repulsive to the boy… a kick ass Hero Partner wife was a much more appealing idea, especially for a 13 year old boy that was just starting to really notice girls (or one specific girl) in a different way.

"Still, it's pretty fucking unfair that you have a Villain capture before even getting to High School! When you're healed, we're sparring to make up for it, got it Deku!?"

"Sure thing, Lil Baku." Izuka smirked. Katsuki growled, but kissed Izuka's cheek, not wanting to kiss her lips with her mother and super intimidating Pro Hero father in the room.

After another treatment from Recovery Girl, Water Hose and Izuka were both healed enough to leave the hospital and return to Moncalama Village for the remainder of Saturday, with the agreement that they'd return home on Sunday morning. Kota was completely infatuated with Izuka and eagerly followed her about, insisting her Hero Name was Phoenix because of her Quirk's name and powers, as well as her Phoenix Smash move. The little boy was a bit intimidated by Katsuki, but the older boy just smirked and ruffled his hair whenever Kota got too close or looked afraid of him. Izuka gave her phone number and address to Water Hose, so Kota could call or write whenever he wanted, after all, Kota was her Number One Fan. For some reason, that statement had made Toshinori look a bit jealous. Mandalay left that evening, taking Izuka's notebook with her and promising to have the other Pussycats sign their pages before she mailed it back, though before she left, Izuka performed a link with her, evolving her quirk. Mandalay's Telepathy grew more powerful, allowing those she connected to to communicate back, and if she really strained herself, she became able to momentarily read a target's thoughts.

When Izuka broke the Link with Mandalay, as well as Taka and Konako, all three felt a bit sad, as if separating from a friend, though that had only lasted a few seconds. Since the Evolution occurred so quickly now, as opposed to when she was a captive of All for One, Izuka offered to Link with everyone present.

All three Bakugous had refused; Mitsuki and Masaru because they felt no need to evolve their quirks, since they rarely ever used them, while Katsuki wanted to go as far as possible relying on his own strength, though a cute pout from Izuka made him promise to link with her if he ever found himself in a situation when he needed the boost. Toshinori, Nezu and Aizawa had all refused the Link as well; Toshi because he feared what an improved One for All would do to his slightly weakened body, Nezu because he was happy as he was, and Aizawa because he didn't want Izuka using her quirk on him until they had learned by exactly how much the stamina requirement of the improved Quirk increased. He already suffered from Dry Eye and insomnia, he didn't want to risk adding to the exhaustion!

Only Inko and Recovery Girl accepted the link. Recovery Girl's improved Quirk made her healing more efficient, allowing her to heal more damage at the cost of less stamina. It also carried an anti-bacteria and anti-virus component, curing minor illnesses and improving a patient's resistance to infection for a few days after treatment. Inko's quirk was improved from Small Object Attraction to a weak form of telekinesis, allowing her to fully manipulate objects without touching them, but only those items that are light enough that she could theoretically lift them with her body. Inko promptly used the power to lift Izuka into the air and toss her at Toshinori, resulting in happy squeals and giggling.

In the end, Izuka's First Junior Hero Internship had been a success. Izuka had faced a Villain, saved several lives and come away stronger, and with her first fan. Despite all the pain she'd endured in the fight, Izuka couldn't help but smile as they drove back home; it had all been more than worth it, just to see the smile on Kota's face when he got to hug his parents again.

That was what being a Hero was all about!


	6. UA Entrance Exams

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 6: U.A Entrance Exams**

Two more years pass following the Moncalama Incident, as the battle with Muscular was dubbed, and Izuka and Katsuki were prepared to enter the U.A Hero Program. The past two years had been hectic, with Katsuki upping his training to insane levels and taking part in All-Might's super muscle training, while Izuka trained her quirks and took part in numerous Junior Internships with many different Heroes and Agencies.

In the aftermath of the Moncalama Incident, Izuka ended up in the national news for her actions in saving Water Hose and being instrumental in the defeat of Muscular. When people got wind that she was the same girl as the All for One kidnappings, the story went from a local story to one that covered Japan. People began to recognise her in the streets, and many said they'd be cheering for her in the future. The Mari Town police force had given her an award for her Heroism, and the Japanese Government had ratified it by extending Izuka the Medal of Peace, the award for Civilian Heroism. Such an award had always come with a Recommendation to every Hero School in the country, so Izuka was finally able to publicly acknowledge that she was going to U.A on a Recommendation, she just couldn't say that she'd technically had that recommendation for three years already.

Nezu had only continued to tutor her for another year, until she was fourteen. He had stopped when Izuka had passed a prospective College Entrance Exam that Nezu had gotten from a friend. If Izuka wanted, she could go to Tokyo University when she graduated, though admittedly, her scores were average for a successful applicant, but considering she was fourteen and not eighteen/nineteen, it was an amazing feat. Instead of tutoring, Nezu set her a series of revision books so she could maintain her intelligence until she started her U.A Schooling. With all the extra time this gave her, Izuka threw herself into Quirk Training, Medical Training and finding a creative outlet, something that Doctor Miragi had highly recommended to her during their now quarterly sessions.

Izuka and Katsuki tried numerous different creative outlets together; singing, instruments, poetry, sculpting, drawing, painting and even dancing. Katsuki had been awful at singing anything but Heavy Metal, and his drawing, painting, dancing and poetry skills were all very average for a teenager, but to Izuka's surprise, Katsuki was insanely good at sculpting and playing the drums. Izuka had a little figurine of All-Might in his civilian form that Katsuki had made for her, and it was extremely well done and made like an action figure, using proper modellers paint and plastics. Katsuki had even made a couple of figures of Izuka herself, one that he sent to Kota for the boy's 5th birthday (Kota couldn't understand why Izuka didn't already have her own merchandise) and one that he secretly kept to himself.

Izuka on the other hand, had proven to be more skilled at singing, dancing and drawing. She could hold a tune quite well, and her combat training and agility made dancing a fun experience, but it was drawing she really excelled at; her note books were no longer filled with childish doodles of Heroes, but well-done sketches of their profiles and even some action poses that wonderfully captured the Hero's fighting style.

In Quirk Training, Izuka had advanced a lot, having gained control of her flames and One for All that she hadn't imagined was possible. Even her Link Quirk had been practised with Recovery Girl, and Izuka discovered she could re-establish any link she'd made with a person without actually having to touch them again, though it seemed that unlike the direct method, the recipient of the link could rebuff her, which resulted in a nosebleed and a crippling migraine for the poor girl. She'd learned that the hard way when she'd tried to reopen a link with Tomura or Kurogiri, in hopes of finding them for the Heroes. At least Taka and Konako had been happy to hear from her directly again. Izuka went to see them once a year since the incident, spending a week of her Summer Break with them as Hero Experience.

As for One for All and her flames, Izuka could now create hotter flames and concentrate them, controlling them more efficiently such as creating blue fire or forming a blowtorch like flame on the end of her finger. With One for All, Izuka's training had been hellish; for three months, she couldn't use it without breaking something and having to heal it, but thankfully, Izuka's own evolution ability did effect the damage she did and her bones slowly became harder to break, and her muscles tore less often. By her 14th birthday, Izuka was able to use 100% of One for All without immediately breaking something, but the incredible pain caused by the resultant muscle cramps were so bad that she could only throw a second punch or kick with extreme amounts of willpower. To compensate for this, Izuka developed the Phoenix Shroud Technique; a method by which she maintained 20% of One for All within her body and a shroud of flames to supplement her power and boost it like a rocket engine. She had also created a second version; Phoenix Sacrifice, which she was forbidden to use unless someone would die without it. It was the same as Phoenix Shroud, but used 100% of her power and replaced the booster flames with healing ones to help maintain her body for longer. The one time she'd used it for training, Izuka had killed herself from a combination of blood loss and shock due to the pain she put herself through. That had resulted in the one and only time that Izuka had ever been grounded and the scolding she'd gotten had made her ears ring.

By the time that the spring of her 15th year came along, Izuka was certain that she'd be ready for the challenges of U.A.

The day of the U.A Entrance Exams finally came, and the residents of the Yagi-Midoriya Household were excitedly preparing. The Bakugous had come to stay the previous night so they could spend the next day with the Yagi-Midoriyas, since their home was closer to U.A than theirs. Katsuki and Izuka were doing the last of their workout in the gym, both having worked up a sweat when All-Might walked in.

"Good Morning, Young Izuka and Katsuki! Are you both prepared for today?" he asked with a smile. All-Might had taken a teaching post at U.A so he could continue to watch over his child's progress, as well as the progress of the next generation of great heroes.

"We're ready! We're gonna kick ass!" Katsuki grinned, punching the sandbag with a bit more gusto.

"Honestly, you two make it sound like I'm participating!" Izuka giggled, running on the treadmill.

"You kind of are, dear." Toshi smiled.

"Not as an Examinee!" the girl hopped of the machine, "I'm helping Recovery Girl cover the event. There are gonna be 7 testing areas with at least 30 examinees each. Recovery Girl is covering Delta, Epsilon, Zeta and Eta, while I'm taking watching over Alpha, Beta and Gamma!"

"True, but even though you'll be in the Monitor Room with the Teachers, your actions while seeing to the injuries will still be scrutinised." Toshi explained, before turning to Katsuki, "Are you sure you want to take part? You've more than earned a recommendation, if you want it."

"Fuck that, All-Might!" Katsuki scowled, "I'm getting in by skill alone! I'm gonna start my road to Number One by getting the number one score!"

All-Might inflated into his Hero form, "You move me with your enthusiasm! Here's a little goal for you; my own score in the Entrance Exams was 94, and that was the highest score in U.A History! No one has beaten my record, so if you do, I guarantee you'll be entering U.A with the full attention of every teacher and student! A great way to begin the road to Number One."

Katsuki's smirk grew wider "Oh hell yeah! I'm gonna beat your score and get over 100 points!"

Izuka giggled, "Want to make a bet?" she asked, making Katsuki turn to her with a feral grin. Nothing made Katsuki work harder than when he wanted to surpass Izuka's expectations and Izuka knew it. "If you not only beat All-Might's score, but also get over 100 points, then when our Hero Team becomes Number One, I'll let you have top billing and be in charge. But if you don't..." the obvious alternative hung in the air and Katsuki punched his own palm, making a small explosion as he did.

"You are on!" he shouted, roughly shaking Izuka's offered hand. Toshinori chuckled to himself at the strange relationship that the two had.

To say it was complex was an understatement. The two were simultaneously boyfriend and girlfriend, best friends, rivals and partners. Katsuki was undoubtedly the dominant one in the relationship, with him deciding what they did, though he usually chose to do something they'd both like and tended to prioritise Izuka's enjoyment over his own, but on the occasions that Izuka really put her foot down, Katsuki would stop and listen. The boy knew Izuka's strength and respected it, along with her indomitable will, which was probably why she was the only girl he could even consider being with. She'd earned his respect and was strong enough to walk beside him, not behind him like some extra. Not only that, but despite knowing that if it ever came down to a no holds barred battle between the two, Izuka would come out on top, she NEVER looked down on him and always looked at him with awe, respect and genuine affection. On Izuka's side of things, Katsuki was someone she'd always looked up to and cared about, the only one her age that had didn't think of her as just some weird nerdy girl. Her being Quirkless had thrown a wrench in that, until she had saved him from Kurogiri and opened his eyes. Once Katsuki realised it was actions and not quirks that made one a Hero, he re-examined his time with the girl and came to the conclusion that she had been a Hero, leading to him finally acknowledging her and fulfilling one of Izuka's dreams. Izuka dearly loved him for giving up his pride and admitting he was wrong, and finally believing in her. He even made room in his dream for her, and so Izuka had repaid him by giving him all the love she could.

Toshinori was snapped from his thoughts by the arrival of Inko, "Izuka dear, I just got off the phone with Principal Nezu. Since the Entrance Exams are this afternoon, he's asking all the recommendation students to come and see him in his office this morning for meet and greet."

"Really? That's cool, I'll get to meet the other recommendation guys!" Izuka grinned. "Do I have time for breakfast and a shower?"

Inko nodded, "Of course, you have a couple of hours still. Katsuki, I'm cooking up your favourite; Spicy Waffles!"

"God damn I love you Midoriya Women! I'm gonna take a shower and be right down!" Katsuki said, running off to wash up. Izuka followed closely behind and went to her own bathroom to shower and dress. As she finished washing up, Izuka changed into a white skirt and pale pink t-shirt, as well as her signature big red shoes before tying her hair into a ponytail. She'd grown again in the last two years and was now only an inch or so shorter than her mother. Her womanly proportions hadn't changed much, only growing at the same rate as her height, resulting in her keeping the same cute and slender frame as she had when she was 13. It suited her, and Kacchan never complained (not that he'd seen her in anything more revealing than a one-piece swimsuit) so Izuka was happy with it.

Now dressed, she joined the others at the Breakfast table, where Kacchan was already tearing through waffles like it would be his last meal. That boy really liked spicy food… Mitsuki and Masaru smiled and greeted her as she sat down.

"So, what are you guys going to be doing while we're out?" Izuka asked, sipping on some sweet tea.

"I'll be in the Monitor Room with you." Toshinori said.

"Your mom and I are going shopping!" Mitsuki grinned with Inko nodded beside her.

Masaru smiled at his wife's happiness; "I'm having a lazy day. Work let me have today off because of Katsuki's exam, so I'm relaxing!"

Izuka giggled; "Good for you. What about you, Kacchan? What will you do before the Exam?"

"I'm meeting some guys from Middle School. They're like the only people I can stand in that shitty place, so I figured I'd bless 'em with my presence for a couple of hours." Kacchan said between bites of waffle.

Izuka sweat-dropped… that was her boyfriend; humble as always!

Once they'd finished breakfast and Izuka had helped her mother with the dishes, Izuka and Toshinori drove to U.A, with Izuka entering for the last time with her childhood I.D. Toshinori walked her to Nezu's office, before running off to join the other teachers in preparing for the exam.

Knocking on the door, she heard Nezu's voice inviting her in, so she walked in, discovering she was the last one to arrive. Nezu was at at his desk; Aizawa on his left and Blood King on his right. Four other students were already stood waiting, each with a unique and interesting look to them. The most normal looking one was a tall busty girl with black hair, tied up in a ponytail. Next to her was a boy with dual coloured hair and eyes; his left side was red haired with a blue eye, while his right was white haired with a grey eye. He had a serious expression, and a rather large burn scar that covered much of the left side of his face, including his eye. Then there was the other boy, fairly tall with pale skin, ash blond coloured hair and a skull-like face with no visible lips, leaving his teeth on full display. His nose was also fairly small with large nostrils, making it appear almost like he had no nose at all. The last student was a girl with very long hair that was comprised entirely of vines with faint green thorns covering them.

The four students looked at Izuka, studying her just as she studied them. The black haired girl appeared to recognise her, as her eyes widened a bit, but the others looked at her like a stranger. Skull Boy waved and Vine Girl smiled kindly and bowed, which Izuka returned. Dual-Coloured Boy raised an eyebrow at her, before turning back to the teachers.

"Now that you are all here, we can get underway!" Nezu grinned.

"You dad was late getting out of the house again, right?" Aizawa asked Izuka with an annoyed look.

"Yes Sensei, I'm sorry." Izuka bowed in apology.

"Nah, forget it. Tell your dad that I'll be having words with him though." the tired man said, a hint of steel in his tone.

The five students gulped, Aizawa-Sensei was not one to upset. Nezu just smiled and pulled out some papers, "I've called you here for a few reasons. First is to introduce you to each other and inform you of whose class you'll be in. Secondly, to let you know about some of the expectations we here at U.A have for our Recommendation Students. Thirdly… well, we'll get to that! Now, if you'll be so kind, introduce yourselves and tell us some things about yourself! Midoriya, why don't you start us off?"

Izuka nodded, though she felt a bit strange being called Midoriya by the Mouse Hero. All the U.A teachers had called her Izuka, but she supposed it would seem inappropriate now. "My name is Izuka Midoriya. My quirk is Omni-Flame, which allows me to conjure and control flames, summon wings of fire for flying, heal myself and others, as well as improving my strength. I hope we can all get along." she introduced, bowing politely to the other students. She had used the alias of her quirk, since Phoenix was a bit too on the nose.

"Ah, would you happen to be the same Midoriya from the Moncalama Incident and All for One Kidnappings?" the Black Haired girl asked. Izuka smiled and nodded. "Amazing! I saw you on the news and watched the award ceremony for the Medal of Peace. I'm happy to meet you!" she said, before turning to everyone else; "My name is Momo Yaoyorozu and my Quirk is Creation. It lets me create anything so long as I understand the structure."

Dual-Colour was next; "I am Shoto Todoroki. My quirk makes ice." he said in a monotone.

When it became apparent that Todoroki wouldn't say more, the Skull boy introduced himself; "Hi, I'm Juzo Honenuki. My Quirk is Softening, and I bet you can guess what it does! I'm looking forward to working with you."

Last was the Vine Girl, "My name is Ibara Shiozaki. My Quirk is named vines and allows me to control the vines I grow from my head. It is my desire to spread good across the world, I hope we can work together for this goal."

Izuka smiled and nodded. These four seemed to be interesting and had some powerful quirks! They'd all make great heroes! Nezu seemed pleased with their introductions, "Good good, you've been acquainted! Now, I'll reveal your classes. Normally, we split the Recommendation kids between Class 1-A and Class 1-B, but since we have an uneven number, two of you will go with Kan-Sensei and the other three will go with Aizawa-Sensei. Shiozaki, Honenuki; you two will be under the care of Sekijiro Kan AKA Blood King. You are Class 1-B."

Blood King grinned at the two, "I hope you make me proud! Class 1-B usually gets overlooked because of 1-A, but you'll always have me in your corner, so work hard!"

"Yes Sensei!" the two students said, happy to be in Blood King's class.

"Naturally, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu and Midoriya will be in Class 1-A, under Shota Aizawa AKA Eraserhead." Nezu continued.

Aizawa regarded his students with a critical eye, particularly Todoroki and Yaoyorozu. "I'm a hard man to impress, and recommendation or not, I won't hesitate to expel you if I feel like you're wasting my time. Still, you're my students now, so if you work hard and prove yourselves, then I'll take care of you."

Nezu, perhaps wanting to add to the pressure, piped up; "Incidentally, Aizawa-Sensei has expelled 80% of all his students, with most being gone within the first month of school! Also, Midoriya..." Izuka gulped as focus was put on her; "You are the first student that Aizawa-Sensei has ever actually requested to be in his class."

The girl blinked. Aizawa had asked for her specifically? She couldn't help but blush and feel a little proud of that fact. Nezu didn't feel the need to mention that Kan-Sensei had asked for her too; Aizawa-Sensei only won out because he knew her already and had never asked for anyone before. The Underground Hero sent a withering glare at the Principal as the other students looked at Izuka questioningly.

"Don't get a big head over it, Midoriya." Aizawa said evenly, "I know your power, and I know what your dad did with the same sort of power. I want you in my class so I can keep an eye on you! Kan would just coddle you."

"Who exactly is your father?" Todoroki asked, the slightest bit of emotion finally sneaking into his voice.

"Oh, you wouldn't know him. His name is Toshi Midoriya." Izuka said, using the alias All-Might had given her for this kind of occasion. "He works as a Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor, he's trained a fair few Pro Heroes!" she added, mixing in some of her pride for All-Might into her tone.

Todoroki made a noise of acknowledgement, but his interest had apparently ended, so they all turned back to Nezu. "Our expectations are tough, but fair. We expect you to act as examples to your peers across all the different courses, not just Heroes. Your grades must remain in the top 25%, and your behaviour must be exemplary, or we may decide to revoke your Recommendation. In that event, you'll have to take a special exam to keep your position in the Hero Course. Failure to do so will result in your expulsion from the Hero Program, which in itself, does NOT mean you can automatically enter General Education, Support or Management. We teachers are very invested in our students, especially those that have already proven themselves, so please, do not disappoint us."

The Five Recommendation Students nodded and bowed. None wanted to disappoint the man (er Mouse...Dog...Bear...thing). Nezu clapped happily, "Excellent! A good, respectful attitude! But of course, just as you have additional responsibilities, you also have additional privileges! Your Hero Costume and Support Item budget is higher than a normal student by about 50%. You also have access to Gym Beta and Training Ground Delta whenever they are not in use. Lastly, in the case of an emergency, you have the authority to act and take command of other students if need be."

Izuka smiled a bit, with the extra money for her Hero budget, she could get more of the support items she wanted to help balance her out, as well as the things that would help her support Kacchan better. The two had a basic plan for their Future Agency; Kacchan takes on Combat Situations while Izuchan takes on Rescue Operations and between the two of them, they would be prepared for anything… theoretically.

"Now, there is about an hour before the Entrance Exams start with the Written Test, then after that, we'll be having the Practical Exam. You are welcome to watch from the Observation Lounge." Nezu offered, handing each of them their Student IDs. Izuka accepted hers with a bright smile. "Midoriya, Recovery Girl is waiting in the Monitor Room."

Yaoyorozu raised an eyebrow as the five of them were dismissed. "Midoriya, if you don't mind me asking, why would Recovery Girl be waiting for you? Are you injured?"

Izuka smiled at her; "I'm fine, I'm just helping out with the Exam. Because part of my Quirk is healing, I'm apprenticed under Recovery Girl and she's letting me act as the Medic for the first three training grounds for the test." she explained, conjuring a bit of pink flame. "By the way, feel free to call me Izuka!"

"I see. Thank you, Izuka. Please call me Momo. My last name is a bit of a mouthful." Momo said with a hint of a blush. She appeared happy to be making a friend.

"Thanks Momo! I'm actually a little bit surprised you recognised me, even before my name was said. I have kind of a plain face, so most people don't know who I am unless I introduce myself." Izuka asked.

Momo blushed a bit more; "W-Well, it's a bit complicated. When you were rescued, I was attending an All Girls Prep School and when we heard you were going to be getting a top private education instead of returning to your old school, a lot of us assumed you'd be coming to our school, being a girl and all. After those rumours got started, I became a bit interested in you; after all, you saved All-Might's life!"

"Heh, he saved me first! To be honest, I don't remember it very well; I just sort of...acted I suppose."

Momo nodded, "That sounds like the response of a Hero! You became something of a role model at my school for a while, especially after the Moncalama Incident. You were even mentioned in our Headmistress's speech on influential women in Heroism!"

"R-Really!? Whoa, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm kind of glad I didn't go to your school… I'd never be able to show my face after that." Izuka mumbled, turning cherry red just from the idea.

"You don't like the attention and adoration?" the older girl asked.

"No, I just want to help people. As long as I can save lives, I don't mind if everyone just thinks of me as a normal person… I sort of prefer it, though having a fan or two is nice..." Izuka thought back to how happy Kota was, and how glad he always looks when she comes to visit.

Momo tilted her head. Izuka wasn't what Momo was expecting; she had expected a very level-headed, proud and strong willed young woman, sure of herself and acting almost like a female All-Might. Instead, the girl was timid, very polite, modest and passionate about helping others. Momo decided she preferred this timid girl over the version she'd built in her own head. "I'm glad. Um, if you like, you can call me if you ever want help with studying or anything..."

Izuka's face lit up; she'd never had a female friend her own age before! "Yes, that'll be great! Here's my number." she got out her phone and the two girls exchanged numbers. Momo giggled at the chibi All-Might charm hanging off Izuka's phone, then she noticed the address she'd been given along with the phone.

"Wait, you live in Nabo Ward? I do too!" Momo grinned.

"That's awesome! Um, I've sort of never had a female friend before… is it okay if I call you my friend?" Izuka asked shyly. Momo felt her heart flutter; this girl was just SO CUTE! She was overcome with the desire to protect the fluffy haired girl.

"Of course! You can even call me Big Sister if you like!" Momo laughed, only half joking.

Izuka giggled; "I'm not brave enough to do that, but thank you anyway. I need to get going, but I'll see you later!" and with that, Izuka happily ran off to meet with Recovery Girl, glad to have made a female friend.

Momo watched her go with a small smile, secretly glad that she too had made her first true female friend. Around the corner, Todoroki frowned. He'd wanted to ask Midoriya about All-Might, but he'd have more than enough chances. She was his logical opposite, as the girl was fire while he was ice. If she also maintained a connection to All-Might, then surpassing her would truly be a way of proving that he was able to become Number One without his father's influence. He was already angry that he couldn't take part in the real Entrance Exam because of his father's recommendation; Shoto wanted no shortcuts, especially from that man.

When Izuka reached the Monitor Room, she found almost all the U.A Staff present. Only Blood King hadn't shown up yet, as he was getting to know his new students. Recovery Girl waved Izuka over to her, "These are the maps for Training Grounds Alpha, Beta and Gamma. Do your best to memorise them so you can move around easily and find patients."

Izuka nodded and looked at the screen, scanning them rapidly and committing as much to memory as possible. Training Ground Alpha was a simulated village, not unlike Moncalama. Beta was an urban area, more in line with modern cities. Gamma was an industrial area filled with factories and maze-like pipes. As soon as she was finished, Recovery Girl handed her a checklist containing the names and pictures of every examinee in her test areas, as well as an earpiece so the Monitor Room could communicate with her and tell her of injuries.

"Alright Midoriya, you've been told the rules for this, but I'm giving you a refresher." Recovery Girl said, raising a finger with each rule she stated; "1. Do not interfere with the Exam unless it is to save a life. 2. Do not perform any healing on a patient that has not retired from the exam, unless it is an emergency. 3. Any injury you cannot heal, bring the patient to me immediately and call the paramedics. 4. If you believe a patient is too injured to continue, but refuses to retire, contact the Monitor Room for confirmation. 5. Finally, you are technically U.A Staff for this event; if you feel a person is a danger to themselves or others, or you have any concerns about an applicant, you have an obligation to report it to us, even if you feel they are good people or you feel bad for them."

"Yes Ma'am." Izuka said, putting her earpiece in. With that said, Izuka waited around the Monitor Room for the exams to begin, chatting with some of the other observers. Once Blood King finally showed up, every U.A Staff Member was present, as well as a trio of representatives from the Japanese Government, the Hero Public Safety Commission (commonly called the Hero Union) and the Police Force. The Written Test came and went fairly quickly, with Izuka spotting Katsuki on the cameras, writing away without a care in the world.

Izuka was certain he'd ace the test, so instead focused on preparing for the Physical Exam. She changed into some U.A Gym Clothes and headed out, flying to Training Ground Alpha. As she waited for the exam to begin, she flicked through the checklist she'd been given and smiled when she saw Katsuki's name and picture among the examinees of Training Ground Gamma. An Exam revolving around destroying Robots would be easy for Kacchan!

Outside Training Ground Gamma, Katsuki was performing some last minute stretches, partly to limber himself up and partly to work up a bit of a sweat, which would improve his quirk. He looked around, mostly unimpressed with the other applicants. There were a few strong looking people, like a buff dude chomping on sugar cubes and a hairy beast guy with glasses, but for the most part, they were all extras. _"Tch, no damn challenge. At least that bet is as good as mine!"_ he smirked, unknowingly scaring some of the other examinees.

"AND START" declared Present Mic. Without missing a beat, Katsuki burst through the crowd and into the training ground proper. It didn't take long for him to find his first robot; a weak one pointer, which he promptly turned into shrapnel with an explosion.

For most of the next ten minutes, Katsuki enjoyed himself as he ran wild, blasting apart robots with impunity. Occasionally, he'd notice Izuka flying around above, scanning the area for injuries, but he'd resisted the urge to call out to her or get her attention. There'd be time for that later, when he was claiming his prize in the bet!

There was only three minutes of the original ten left, and the Explosive Boy had racked up 77 points. At roughly 10 points a minute, if he kept up the pace he'd win the bet by the end. Then he hesitated; some idiot was catching his breath against one of the walls, with a damaged pipe dangling loosely above him. The oblivious fool didn't even notice, not even when the pipe suddenly gave way and fell. "Motherfucker!" Katsuki cursed, rocketing towards the boy and pulling him out of danger in the nick of time.

"T-Thank you!" the idiot stuttered, but Katsuki was in no mood for that shit.

"Shut up and fuck off! Pay attention if you don't want to fucking die!" he roared as he ran off for more points.

Unfortunately, stupidity was apparently common in Katsuki's group, as every time he managed to smash another bot, he'd spot some dumbass about to get creamed, forcing him to come flying (and swearing) to the rescue. Katsuki's ambitions kept screaming at him to just let the idiots get what was coming to them, but his annoying conscious just whispered that it was the right thing to do, that it would make Izuka happy and reduce her workload. If these idiots got badly hurt, she'd blame herself like the little martyr she was, or use too much of her own blood for healing and get herself hospitalised or killed from blood loss.

So Katsuki said fuck it, if people needed saving, he had no choice. It was better that then watching his girlfriend being genuinely upset.

"THE TEST IS OVER!" screamed Present Mic.

"FUCK!" Katsuki screamed even louder, startling everyone in the Training Grounds. He'd scored 90 points, but that wasn't enough to beat All-Might's score or win the bet! With a furious glare at some of the idiots he'd saved, Katsuki marched off to change.

As for Izuka, her first real experience as a Medic in a combat situation proved to be just as chaotic, but a fair bit more successful. The moment Present Mic began the test, she'd carefully patrolled the skies, keeping her eyes peeled for injuries or people in danger. Occasionally, she'd spot someone and fly closer to see them, before flying off again as they continued to participate. Over the course of the exam, she healed seven people in Ground Alpha, twelve in Ground Beta and only three in Ground Gamma (which was odd, she was sure the more industrial area would have the most injuries). The last person she'd healed had been a boy in Ground Beta, and that had led to an...interesting encounter.

The boy was sat up against a wall, his breathing heavy as his ribs were broken and he had a rather deep cut across his chest. Izuka had spotted him the moment he'd been wounded, and when she flew down, he had choked out that he was retiring, allowing her to treat him (though she'd have forced the issue if he hadn't). Just as she was applying her flames to the area, a stern voice had called out to her.

"You there, what are you doing!?" said a tall, dark blue haired boy in glasses. "Are you attacking another Examinee!? That is shameful!"

"N-No, she's..." the injured boy tried to defend her, but he began coughing horribly, forcing Izuka to intensify her healing.

"I'm not an Examinee; I'm the Medic for this area. This Person was badly hurt and has retired, so I'm administering treatment. Please return to your exam; you can still get more points!" Izuka said, trying to smile earnestly despite being a little upset at the accusation.

The glasses boy spluttered, his face turning red as he tried and failed to properly apologise. Before he could get the words out, there was a distant rumbling and a horde of Examinees came running past, screaming.

"It's the Zero Pointer! It's freaking huge!"

"No way, there's no way we can beat that thing!"

"But wait, what about that girl!?"

Izuka's ears twitched and she looked up sharply. Another fleeing student screamed back at the last one, "We can't do anything! She's too close and we can't stop that thing!"

"Oh no..." Izuka muttered, paling. Quickly ensuring her current patient was in no danger, Izuka helped him to his feet and handed him to the Glasses Boy; "Please take him to the Entrance. I'll see to this!" she declared.

"Wait, what are you-" the boy was cut off by Izuka taking flight, leaving him and the injured boy on the ground. Izuka flew up high and immediately spotted the Zero Pointer; it was gargantuan, meaning it was kind of hard not to see it. At it's feet, just a few of it's monstrous steps away, was a girl trapped under rubble and desperately trying to escape.

" _The Zero Pointer is huge! Probably weighs a few tons. Should I go full power and risk injury, or gamble that a weaker blow is enough..."_ Izuka thought. The Robot would definitely kill the trapped girl if it stepped on her, so Izuka was mandated to interfere and protect her!

Deciding on the strongest, safe attack she had, Izuka flew in a loop, coating her body in flame and charging her legs with the combined power of blue flame and 20% of One for All. Once she'd built up momentum, she flew at the Robot and performed a flying kick, "PHOENIX TALON!" she shouted, driving her foot into the robot's head. The metal crumpled like wet tissue beneath the force of her blow and Izuka found herself travelling right through the thing's head, leaving a smouldering hole that dripped molten metal like blood from a wound. The force of the kick, combined with the loss of it's processors, caused the robot to crumple backward to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust that had the trapped girl coughing, but ultimately safe.

Izuka breathed a sigh of relief as she landed, flinching a bit as her leg touched the ground. "Ow… That's what I get for using 20% without warming up..." she muttered, gingerly rubbing at the cramping muscles. As normal feeling returned to the limb, Izuka ran over to the trapped girl. "It's okay; just hold on, alright?"

"Y-Yes." the girl replied nervously as Izuka activated One for All again. As gently as she could, Izuka lifted the rubble on the girl's ankle, careful not to hurt her as she tossed the offending slab of concrete away.

"Thank you!" the girl said, pulling herself into a seated position. Izuka looked at the girl's ankle; it was bruised, but didn't appear broken and only a few scrapes were bleeding.

"Just relax for a moment. I need to heal your ankle." Izuka explained, conjuring her flames and pressing them into the Examinee's injured leg. The girl hissed and winced (the flames themselves didn't hurt, but contact with the damaged area did) but looked amazed as her ankle was left in pristine condition.

Now that she was healed, Izuka took a closer look at the girl herself. She was very cute; a little taller than Izuka with big brown eyes, soft round cheeks and brown hair styled into a shoulder length bob cut, with two long bangs that framed her face. Izuka also noticed small pads on the tips of each of the girl's fingers.

Looking up at Izuka with a happy expression, the girl smiled brightly; "Thanks so much! I'd have been toast without you! My name is Ochako Uraraka, nice to meet you!"

"Ah, you're welcome. It was no trouble; we all want to be Heroes after all! My name is Izuka Midoriya, nice to meet you too!" Izuka replied. Ochako's cheerful nature was infectious!

Present Mic announced the end of the Exam moments later. Recovery Girl spoke to Izuka over her earpiece, stating that there were no new injuries to treat, so everyone from each Training Ground was in peak condition, with the exception of the boy Izuka had entrusted to the Glasses Guy. Apparently the poor guy's broken ribs were worsened by the sudden evacuation, but Recovery Girl assured Izuka that she'd done the right thing.

"You were pretty amazing against the Zero Pointer! Did you get a lot of points against the others?" Ochako asked as she hopped up to stand beside Izuka.

"Oh, no I didn't. That Zero Pointer was the only one I destroyed, but don't worry; I'm a Recommendation Student. I was only here to help Recovery Girl with healing thanks to my quirk." Izuka explained.

Ochako's eyes widened; "Amazing! I'm kind of jealous! Hey, do you want to be friends?"

Izuka blushed, "R-Really? That'd be nice! Um, here." she handed Ochako her phone number, "Call me later so I have yours too, okay? I hope we end up in the same class!" she said, running off to meet with Katsuki and hide her blushing face.

As she ran, she couldn't help but think _"I made two female friends in one day! A cute one and a beautiful one! I got lucky!"_ she giggled to herself.

Izuka returned to the Monitor Room and looked at the scoreboard for the examinees as Nezu, Aizawa and Kan debated how to split the passing students up. Only the top ten were listed on the scoreboard, and Izuka smiled brightly when she saw both Katsuki and Ochako on the list. Ochako was at 3rd place, but she only had 28 points. Izuka looked across the board and noticed an additional score; Rescue Points. "So there was another element! I kind of expected something like that." she muttered. Ochako had 45 Rescue Points, giving her a combined score of 73 Points!

Katsuki was in 1st place, and had 90 Villain Points alone, but what was really surprising was the 30 Rescue Points he'd earned. "K-Kacchan got 120 Points! He beat All-Might's score!"

At that moment, Toshi came over, "I know! I'm both proud and a little bit frustrated! The top 35 students will all be accepted and combined with the five Recommendation Students to create two classes of 20 students. Also, we all saw you working out there." Toshi grinned; "That thing with Young Uraraka and the Zero Pointer would have gotten you sixty Rescue Points if you'd been an examinee! Combined with other Rescue Points from the others you'd helped, you'd have gotten an even 100 Points if you were a participant; beating my score and getting second place!"

Izuka smiled widely; it may be unofficial since she wasn't an actual examinee, but it still made her happy that if she'd taken the exam, she'd have passed just by doing what came naturally. At that moment, the trio from the Government, Police and Hero Union came over, nodding to All-Might and turning to Izuka herself.

"Miss Midoriya, we wanted to ask your opinion on a participant." the Lady from the Hero Union said. "Mr. Tenya Iida earned 6th place with 52 Villain Points and 9 Rescue Points for a combined 61 Points, however, after seeing his interaction with you as you healed that other boy, we are having some doubts about him."

"What do you think of him?" the Police Officer asked.

"I think he deserves his place in U.A." Izuka said evenly, trying to keep her nerves out of her voice. "He was kind of rash, but I think he's just very earnest. From his point of view, I was another examinee that was potentially hurting someone. My pink flames, despite their colour, do look dangerous and because I have to physically touch the wound, it often looks like I'm causing the patient pain. If anything, I think it was admirable that he stopped his own test to potentially protect another student, even if he was mistaken. Plus, when I explained myself, he seemed genuinely apologetic, though the Zero Pointer stopped him from having a chance to apologise. He did also do as I ask and escort the injured person out of the area."

The Government Representative noted her response and smiled; "A well thought-out analysis. I happen to agree with you. Mr. Iida will naturally be accepted into the Hero Program."

The Hero Union lady and Police Officer nodded in agreement, "Thank you for your input, Miss Midoriya. Naturally, we will all be watching your growing career with interest. Work hard, Miss Midoriya." the lady said as the trio went back to their earlier discussions.

After that, Izuka went to meet Katsuki outside the school, eagerly waiting to congratulate him. She knew he wouldn't know about the Rescue Points, but she also knew that Toshinori expected her to tell him and hadn't forbidden her from it. Izuka giggled a bit when she saw the irritated looking boy approaching her.

"I lost the damn bet." he frowned. He might have been a bit of a sore loser, but Kacchan was never one to refuse to accept his losses.

Izuka burst into laughter, making Katsuki growl; "Why is that so damn funny, Deku!? Because of a bunch of idiots that nearly got themselves fucking killed, I missed out on beating All-Might's score by just 4 fucking points! With another ten, I'd have won the bet!"

Izuka smiled and took his face into her hands, gently kissing him, "I'm laughing, Lil Baku, because I know a little secret. Villain Points only made up half the score; the other half was Rescue Points."

"WHAT!?" Katsuki screamed, "What did I get!?"

"30 Rescue Points. You scored 120 total; you beat All-Might and won the bet."

Kacchan paused for a moment, his face blank as he tried to really digest what he'd just been told. Then he suddenly roared with joy and grabbed Izuka, spinning her around in his arms as she giggled. When he finally put her down, he kissed her hungrily, practically attacking her lips. It was the only non-chaste kiss they'd ever shared (Katsuki was surprisingly respectful of letting Izuka set the pace… usually). By the time it was done, Izuka was left blushing and breathless, making Katsuki smirk, distracting from his own blush. "That, was my first prize." he said cockily, daring Izuka to argue.

"Idiot..." Izuka murmured embarrassedly. That kiss had been a bit intense for the timid girl, but she couldn't deny it made her happy.

The two walked home together, hand in hand, and Katsuki listened as Izuka told him about the Recommendation Kids and her two new friends; Momo and Ochako. Katsuki wasn't too interested outside of being happy that his girl had other girls to do girly shit with, but he was happiest that it hadn't been boys she'd made friends with. It was inevitable that Izuka would befriend boys, especially with them going to be in her class, and while Katsuki couldn't stop it (nor should he, he secretly told himself) it didn't mean he had to like it.

And so, Izuka Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugou were both accepted into the U.A Hero Program. The real road to being a Hero starts here!


	7. Class 1-A

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 7: Class 1-A**

The week before school officially started, Izuka and Katsuki trained as usual, both more fired up than ever thanks to making it in and also being in the same class together, Class 1-A. Izuka had spoken with Ochako and Momo over the phone and was happy to discover that Ochako too was in 1-A, meaning that all three of Izuka's friends would be in her class, and their home room teacher would be Aizawa-Sensei, one of the teachers she knew best since he had always supervised her Junior Internships.

On the morning of their first day, Izuka and Katsuki were dressed in their new uniforms, smiling proudly as their mothers took pictures and their fathers gave words of encouragement.

"Don't forget, I'll be a teacher too! I can't give you any special treatment though, so behave yourselves!" Toshinori grinned, entering All-Might mode to punctuate his point.

"Katsuki, keep a close eye on Izuka and be sure to try and keep your temper. Don't blow up your classmates!" Masaru told him, only half joking.

Mitsuki stopped taking photos and ruffled her son's hair; "You may be an annoying brat, but I'm proud of you!" she said in a rare moment of softness. She also kissed Izuka's cheek; "Don't let this idiot boss you about just because he won that bet, and kick his ass if he starts getting cocky!"

Inko hugged Katsuki, "Be good, Katsuki." she told him, before hugging her daughter much more gently, but with a reluctance, like she didn't want Izuka to go. "You make me so proud, my dear. You guys both look really cool; like real heroes."

The two teens grinned, with Izuka getting choked up and even Katsuki feeling a bit teary eyed. "We'll do our best! See you tonight!" Izuka smiled brightly as Katsuki turned to leave before the mushy stuff got to him.

The two walked to U.A in companionable silence, excitement and nerves building with every step. When they arrived, they searched for their classroom, finding it quickly and pausing at the door.

"This is it… we'll be alongside the next generation of Heroes!" Izuka gushed.

"Yeah yeah. Make friends with 'em if you want, but remember that the two of us are gonna be Number One! Don't get distracted!" Katsuki told her. Unlike Izuka, he'd never had a desire for friends, he just wanted strong people to challenge him or in Izuka's case, walk beside him.

They opened the door and were immediately met by the sight of the Glasses Boy; Iida, scolding a blond boy for putting his feet on the desks. The other boy was rubbing the back of his head and apologising with a smirk, but the moment Izuka walked in, Iida's attention honed in on her and he marched over.

"Greetings! I am Tenya Iida, from Soumei Junior High! You are Miss Midoriya, correct?" he asked, punctuating his words with strange robotic chopping motions.

"Um yes! You know my name?" Izuka asked, slightly puzzled. She didn't remember telling him during the Exams…

Iida nodded, "Yes, I learned of it after the exam. I have much to thank you for!" he said, remembering the day he received his acceptance letter.

 _Tenya was sitting in his room, grasping his letter with a small amount of nerves. Carefully opening it so as to preserve the envelope, he discovered a small Holo-Disk and put it on his desk to activate it. Almost immediately, an image appeared of All-Might wearing a gaudy yellow suit and standing in what looked like a Game show set._

" _I AM HERE IN HOLOGRAM FORM!" All-Might declared, surprising Tenya a bit. Leave to U.A to have Pro Heroes like All-Might personally record it's acceptance or rejection messages in Hologram form!_

" _As you may know, Young Iida, I have decided to take a teaching position at U.A starting this year, so I have been asked to perform this task!" All-Might was suddenly distracted by someone muttering from out of view, "Ah, wrap it up? But this is an important one! It's okay, we've got time!"_

 _Tenya frowned, so even a Hero like All-Might did things like this… "Continuing on; You passed the Written Exam with a good score, and you also managed 6th place in the Practical Exam with a score of 52 Villain Points! However, it appears you didn't fully grasp the secret of the exam, as for Rescue Points, you received only 9, resulting in a top score of 61 Points! However, despite a clearly passing grade, you almost lost your spot!"_

 _Tenya paled drastically as a clip played of his interaction with the Medic girl. He cringed as he watched himself scold the girl for helping people (even if he thought she was hurting the other boy), and then cringed even harder as the girl raced off to protect another examinee, taking down a massive Zero Pointer in the process. All-Might reappeared on screen; "That little interaction caused some of the Examiners to question whether you were truly right to be a Hero in U.A's program, so naturally, they asked for the opinion of the young Medic; Izuka Midoriya!"_

 _The boy felt like crying. There was no way he'd be allowed in after they asked the Medic! He had interfered with her work and could have gotten another student hurt as a result! The picture changed to that of the girl and a trio of people Tenya didn't recognise._

" _Miss Midoriya, we wanted to ask your opinion on a participant." A lady in a business suit said. "Mr. Tenya Iida earned 6th place with 52 Villain Points and 9 Rescue Points for a combined 61 Points, however, after seeing his interaction with you as you healed that other boy, we are having some doubts about him."_

" _What do you think of him?" a Police Officer asked._

" _I think he deserves his place in U.A." the Girl answered, "He was kind of rash, but I think he's just very earnest. From his point of view, I was another examinee that was potentially hurting someone. My pink flames, despite their colour, do look dangerous and because I have to physically touch the wound, it often looks like I'm causing the patient pain. If anything, I think it was admirable that he stopped his own test to potentially protect another student, even if he was mistaken. Plus, when I explained myself, he seemed genuinely apologetic, though the Zero Pointer stopped him from having a chance to apologise. He did also do as I ask and escort the injured person out of the area."_

 _Tenya stared at the image blankly. That girl, Izuka Midoriya, had defended him!? "You see, Young Iida? A Hero is someone that seeks to help others, but we are still human and make mistakes! So, come to U.A and learn with us, to help others and make fewer mistakes! Congratulations, Tenya Iida; U.A will be your Hero Academia!"_

Back in the present, Tenya bowed deeply, "I owe you a debt of gratitude, both for correcting my foolishness and speaking in my defence. Thank you very much, Miss Midoriya!"

Izuka blushed and began trying to form a flustered response; "I-It was nothing! You seemed like a good guy, and you just made a logical mistake! You don't owe me anything, so just call me Izuka, or just Midoriya if you prefer."

"Tch, this four eyes bugging you, Izuchan?" Kacchan asked, stepping between Iida and Izuka with a vicious glare. "You said Soumei, right? So you're just a stuck up elite! I'll enjoy kicking you into the dirt!"

"What nerve! YOU want to be a Hero!?" Iida yelled, taken aback by the Explosive Blond's declaration.

"Kacchan, that's enough! I'm sorry Iida, Kacchan is kinda fired up for our first day, y'know?" Izuka pulled Kacchan away, holding his arm tightly.

Before Katsuki could descend into a stream of curse words, the Classroom door opened again and this time, Ochako Uraraka walked in. "Ah, Izuka! It's great to see you in person again! Thanks again for beating up the Zero Pointer for me! That kick was awesome, you were all fiery and sparkling and then "Phoenix Talon!" and the robot just went down like a sack of potatoes!"

"Damn it Deku, you used Phoenix Talon!? I've been bugging you to use it in our matches for months!" Katsuki growled.

"I believe that if Izuka had used it, you'd not likely survive. She blasted through the Zero Pointer's head with no effort." Iida cut in. "By the way Izuka, as you graciously allowed me to use your first name, you may call me Tenya."

Momo Yaoyorozu, who had been sat in the back corner, chose that moment to walk over and join the conversation. "You certainly have an eclectic group of friends, Izuka."

"Momo! Yeah, I only had Kacchan before the Entrance Exams, now I've got him as well as you, Ochako, and Tenya! Have you met any of the others yet?" Izuka asked, looking around the room. The blond boy smirked at her but otherwise paid no attention to what their group was doing. There were a few other interesting people too; some that Izuka recognised from the Exams. There was a funny blond boy with effeminate eyes and a constant sparkle around him, a very tall boy with multiple arms connected by webbing and even one with the head of a bird.

"I wonder what we'll be doing today. Do you think it's just the Entrance Ceremony and Guidance Counsellor stuff?" Ochako commented, bouncing excitedly.

Izuka was about to answer when she heard a ruffling from behind Ochako. Leaning, around the other girl, Izuka sweat-dropped at the appearance of Aizawa-Sensei, wrapped up in his signature yellow sleeping bag. _"A caterpillar cosplay?"_

"If you're gonna be fooling around and looking for friends, then get lost. This is the Hero Program!" Aizawa-Sensei said, slowly getting up and prying himself from his comfy position. At his glare, everyone settled down in the assigned seats. When they were quiet, Aizawa-Sensei frowned; "It seriously took you 8 seconds to sit and be quiet? You brats.. life is short you know. I'm your Homeroom Teacher; Shota Aizawa. Pleasure to meet you." he introduced, his blank and tired expression not really matching his words.

He rifled through his sleeping bag for a moment, then threw a bundle of gym clothes at the class. "Put those on, then get to the P.E Grounds." he ordered, sending the class into a scramble to find a suitable set of gym clothes. Once everyone had a fitting set, they raced off to the Locker Rooms to change and met in the expansive P.E Grounds.

Izuka looked around, mildly interested; the P.E Grounds were basically just a bigger version of what most schools had and wasn't used often in U.A, with it usually being utilised by the non-Hero courses for Physical Education. As the class assembled, Aizawa was already waiting with a bored look on his face.

"We'll be having a Quirk Apprehension Test." he said simply, shocking his students.

"Isn't it kind of soon? What about the Entrance Ceremony?" Ochako asked.

"Heroes don't have time for niceties like that, though I suppose we can do it later if you all survive." the man answered ominously. "U.A is famed for granting students a large range of freedoms, but those freedoms extend to us teachers too."

Aizawa stepped forward and fiddled with a PDA-like device, which projected a scoreboard onto the side of a wall. Their names were listed by their seat number (Izuka being 18 and Katsuki being 17) and there were nine columns beside their names, each headed with the name of an activity with the final column being marked "Total".

"Softball Pitch, Standing Long Jump, 50 Meter Dash, Endurance Running, Grip Strength, Sideways Jumps, Pull-Ups and Sit-Ups; eight activities you all know from Middle School, but naturally, you were forbidden from using your quirks." Aizawa explained, turning his attention to Katsuki; "Bakugou, what was your middle school record for the Softball Pitch?"

"67 metres." the boy answered.

"Hmm." Aizawa tossed a softball to Katsuki, who caught it easily and noted the strange device built into it. "Try using your quirk. So long as you don't leave the circle, everything you do is fine."

"You got it." Katsuki said, _"I'll just apply a little shock wave and..."_

"DIE!" he roared, throwing the ball with all his might, launching it with an explosion at the apex of his throw. The ball rocketed into the distance, landing far out of the students' sight. Aizawa held up the PDA, which had a record of 705.2 Metres, which was added to the appropriate part of the score table.

"Before we can teach you, we need to know where you are in regards to your quirk, both in power and ingenuity. This test will establish the Foundation of your Hero Skills, and from there, we can build on them." Aizawa explained.

"Whoa, over 700 metres!? That's unreal!" a red haired boy exclaimed.

"This looks so fun!" Ochako squealed happily.

Izuka paled, "Oh no… you had to say it..." she whispered, already seeing the darkening look on their teachers face. If she had learned one thing about Aizawa's teaching style, it was that you NEVER took his lessons with anything but the utmost seriousness.

"Ah, it looks like fun you say?" Aizawa began quietly, sending a chill up their spines with how cold his voice was, "So you thought you'd spend the next three years having fun? What happened to being Heroes? Alright then, here's a new rule: the student who ranks last in total points will be deemed hopeless, and instantly expelled."

The whole class was stunned, their eyes widening with terror. Aizawa smirked, "This is another example of our freedom as teachers; we can dispense with students as we wish." he chuckled darkly, "Welcome to the Hero Program!"

That snapped the students out of their fear and many began protesting, arguing it was unfair, but Aizawa was unrelenting; "Natural Disasters, Massive Accidents, Terrible Villains… the world is full of horrible calamities and it is all thoroughly unfair. It is our job as Heroes to correct that and restore reason to the chaos. You aren't here as simple high-schoolers, chatting and having fun; you are Heroes in training and from now on, your lives at this school are going to be one challenge after another. If you can't manage it, then quit… or grow stronger; go beyond! That is the meaning of our motto; PLUS ULTRA!"

Just as soon as he had struck fear into them, Aizawa had now lit the fires of inspiration. Each of these 20 prospective heroes were now chomping at the bit to meet the challenge.

The first trial was the 50-Meter Dash, and while each dash had two participants, they were really racing against the whole class. Izuka took this chance to catalogue the names of those classmates she didn't already know. The effeminate blond boy was named Yuga Aoyama and scored 5.51 seconds by using his quirk; Naval Laser, like a rocket, though using the beam for more than a second caused him stomach pain. A pink skinned girl with horns, Mina Ashido, managed 5.46 seconds, barely beating Aoyama by using her acid to skate across the ground. A Frog-like girl named Tsuyu Asui was able to clear the track in 4.58 seconds with frog-like leaps, while Tenya was able to use his amazing Engine quirk to clear it in 3.04 seconds! Ochako was less successful, using her Zero Gravity quirk to remove the weight of her shoes and clothing, shaving a few seconds off her middle school time for a total of 7.15 seconds. A boy named Mashirao Ojiro scored 5.49 seconds by kangaroo jumping with his tail. This continued for a while but few other people got super-human scores aside from Todoroki, who skated across the frozen track for a score of 5.23 seconds. When it came time for Katsuki and Izuka, both stepped up to the starting line and took their positions.

At first, Izuka had planned to hold back and stay in the middle of the pack, she didn't want the whole class's attention on her, but seeing how hard everyone was working, she felt it would be an insult to use any less than 100% of her (safe) power! Katsuki immediately exploded across the track, scoring 4.13 seconds, but Izuka hadn't started. Until she crossed the starting line, her time wouldn't start, so she focused her powers carefully, channelling 20% of One for All and a large amount of fire to her legs, as well as summoning her wings. In a flash, she exploding over the start line, shooting across the track like a jet plane before finally crossing the finish line. She was going so fast, she actually had to perform a loop while slowing herself to prevent herself from colliding with a wall.

The robot that was recording their scores beeped and announced; "2.01 seconds."

Katsuki's eyes narrowed; _"Shit, Izuchan's really going all out."_

The rest of the class appeared equally shocked, though Ochako and Tenya, who had seen her take down the Zero Pointer, wasn't too surprised.

No one had time to really comment though as Aizawa kept them moving. In the end, the only other super results were a short boy with grape-like hair named Minoru Mineta, who used his strange quirk to create bouncy balls to bounce himself across the finish line, and Momo, who actually created a motorised scooter with her quirk, earning her third place after Izuka and Tenya.

The second trial; Grip Strength, ended in an unquestioning victory for the multi-armed boy; Mezo Shoji, who was able to call on gorilla-like strength. Second went to a buff boy with big lips named Rikido Sato, who used some sugar to boost his strength and get a fairly super score. Izuka ended up third; she wasn't very good in using One for All for actions that didn't require momentum, which also made it so she couldn't use her flames. Still, third place wasn't bad.

The third trial; Standing Long Jump, had a lot of super results. Izuka simply flew, and since there was no known limit to her flight, she got a score of Infinity. Many others got amazing scores, with most clearing the sand box. Aoyama shot himself over with his laser, Asui leapt over easily, Ochako was able to float herself across (though the nausea it caused made it so she couldn't get an Infinity score), Ojiro bounded across with his tail, Sato did the same with sugar empowering his legs. A plain faced guy called Hanta Sero was able to shoot tape from his elbows to pull himself across without touching the ground, Katsuki used his explosions to propel himself, and Mineta created a bundle of his bouncy balls to shoot himself across.

The Fourth trial; Repeated Side Steps was… unusual. Because of the limits, most people got only a normal score, though people like Izuka and Katsuki, who could shoot things from their hands were able to get super human scores, though funnily enough, it was Mineta who scored first place by bouncing himself between two piles of his balls.

The Fifth trial was the Softball Pitch, which Katsuki had already completed. Ochako proved the winner with the class's second Infinity Score thanks to her Zero Gravity Quirk. Izuka herself somewhat copied Katsuki's showing, by combining One for All and her flames, resulting in her scoring second place with 856.3 Metres.

The last three trials were rather uninteresting, as despite the quirks on show, they all came down to endurance and that was something that only a few of them had a lot of. The Endurance Run went to Momo, who used her created scooter to get the third and final infinity score. As for Pull Ups, Izuka won that trial by simply gripping the bar and flying up and down with her wings, stopping after she had beaten the previous high score (held by Shoji). Sit Ups was… kind of disappointing. It was the last trial, so most people were already spent and even Izuka was running low on energy, only managing to get second place, a couple of dozen sit ups behind Shoji, who was apparently a bit of a stamina freak.

Without a word, Aizawa input the last of the results into his PDA and the scoreboard rearranged itself to reflect the positions of the students.

1\. Izuka Midoriya

2\. Momo Yaoyorozu

3\. Shoto Todoroki

4\. Katsuki Bakugou

5\. Tenya Iida

6\. Fumikage Tokoyami

7\. Mezo Shoji

8\. Mashirao Ojiro

9\. Eijiro Kirishima

10\. Mina Ashido

11\. Ochako Uraraka

12\. Koji Koda

13\. Rikido Sato

14\. Tsuyu Asui

15\. Yuga Aoyama

16\. Hanta Sero

17\. Denki Kaminari

18\. Kyoka Jiro

19\. Toru Hagakure

20\. Minoru Mineta.

Izuka felt her heart skip a beat when she saw she was at the top. Technically, she'd come in the top 3 of every trial, so it wasn't a huge surprise, but her humble side hadn't allowed her to think about it. She turned her attention to Mineta, who was shaking in fear upon seeing he was ranked last. Izuka couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him, so she decided to risk Aizawa's wrath.

"Um, Sensei? I had a question." she said, stepping forward and desperately trying to ignore all the attention that was now on her.

"What is it, Midoriya?"Aizawa asked, boredom in his eyes.

"It's just… isn't this exam a bit illogical?" Izuka asked, a bit too quickly.

"Oh? Why should you complain? You got first place." Aizawa retorted.

"But that's because my quirk is suited to this kind of thing. I mean, your own quirk wouldn't have been able to do anything to help you in this test, but you're still a great hero. Wouldn't it be unfair to judge someone hopeless in a test like this? I mean, Mineta technically scored last because his body isn't well suited for this sort of exam, but he did amazing on a few of the exams because he could use his quirk creatively; isn't that enough reason to say he isn't hopeless?" she argued, feeling a little braver.

Mineta looked up at Izuka with tears in his eyes. He was about one moment away from dropping to his knees and worshipping her like a goddess. Katsuki growled at the looks the small boy was giving his girl, but couldn't really fault him; his Izuka was damn cute.

Aizawa narrowed his eyes and used his capture weapon to drag Izuka towards him, making her squeak in surprise. "Didn't I say this is no place to be trying to make friends?"

"I'm not! I'm just saying what I think is right! You shouldn't expel anyone!" Izuka shot back, terrified but unwilling to just surrender.

Aizawa stared at her for a minute, before smirking and releasing her; "You still have that damn spark in you. You are way too much like your dad." he muttered, before turning to the class; "I lied about the expulsion thing. It was a logical ruse to drive you forward and push your limits. For the record, if I really wanted to expel any of you brats, no amount of arguing will stop me, though Midoriya does bring up a good point; so long as your chances aren't zero, I won't be dropping you. But should they drop to zero at any time, I'll kick your asses to the curve!"

There were sighs of relief, and Mineta burst into happy tears, glad he wouldn't be kicked out. Aizawa allowed them to have the celebrations for a bit; he was tough, not heartless. "Alright, that's enough now. Since I expelled my whole class on the first day last year, the Principal has given me some new guidelines I have to follow, so we've got one last activity before we head inside. It's optional and if you must, you can consider this… "Fun" or whatever." Aizawa snapped his fingers and some of the scoring robots ran off, only to reappear moments later with a series of circular and human shaped targets made of concrete.

"This is the Signature Move Showcase. We don't assist in the development of special or signature moves until just before the Provisional License exams, but every kid that aspires to become a Hero usually has one or two moves dreamed up before reaching High School. So, to ensure they're safe and to let you brats show off some more, we're going to try them out. Step forward if you have a move." Aizawa said, pointing to a spot to his right, directly across the assembled targets.

Ashido, Tenya, a girl with long ear lobes named Kyoka Jiro, Katsuki, Izuka and Mineta all stepped forward. Aizawa-Sensei nodded at them, "Ashido, you're first."

The Pink girl grinned, "Well, mine isn't an attack, but it's still my signature!" she said gleefully. With a spray of acid from her feet, Ashido began to surf around on the ground, showing she had quite a lot of balance and manoeuvrability when using her signature. "Acid Surfer!"

"Hmm, a potentially dangerous move, especially since it wrecks the ground…." Aizawa said, ruefully staring at the melted earth that marked Ashido's trail. "For now, don't use it inside the school. In a live Hero situation, be cautious too, as excess acid could hurt others who step on it without realising, and it can also cause you trouble as it could be considered unnecessarily collateral damage. Still, a creative move." he judged. "Next, Iida."

Iida charged at the target, a huge burst of air coming from his engines as he launched a kick; "Recipro Burst!" he yelled, cleaving the head off a target with his kick.

"So you push you engines to their max and gain even greater speed for a short time. But it looks like it disables your engines. Practice with it to extend the time it lasts, but use it conservatively." the Teacher said. Iida nodded and moved aside as Jiro stepped forward.

She ran forward and directed her ear lobes, which were like headphone jacks, to stab into a target. "Heart Throb!" she cried, and the target exploded with a powerful sound wave.

Aizawa whistled; "Impressive. You channel the sound of your heartbeat through you Earphone Jacks to create a concussive sound wave. Be careful with that attack; it'll likely do a fair bit of damage to a person, even if they don't explode like the target."

Katsuki was next, and he smirked as he prepared his current ace move; one that had even allowed him to put a mark on All-Might in a sparring match! "Nitro Blaster" he yelled, launching a series of highly focused explosions at the targets. By minimising and tightly controlling the strength of the launching explosion, he could cause his sweat droplets to be launched without immediately exploding, then shoot explosive sparks to ignite them and create what appeared to be a semi-automatic explosion gun. Each individual explosion was smaller than his full explosions, but they could be used at range and in large numbers, allowing him to build up larger explosions without straining his arms. It was light enough to knock an enemy out without killing them or causing debilitating harm.

"Tch, just what I'd expect from one of those two..." Aizawa muttered; "Bakugou, that is a well thought out move and it shows you have good control of your quirk. I'd keep that as a trump card until you have a more powerful move."

The Explosive boy just smirked and walked back to the others as Izuka took his spot in front of the targets. Only a handful were left, so she decided to let loose a bit.

"Phoenix Feathers!" she shouted, firing several feather-shaped darts made of fire, each one striking a different area of the targets and then exploding in a burst of flame. The move was Izuka's answer to Katsuki's Nitro Blaster and worked in a somewhat similar fashion. Izuka conjured many flames and then concentrated them into compact feathers, which would stick to whatever she threw them at, then explode when she released the compression of the flames. The strength of the darts were completely dependent on how much fire she conjured and how tightly she concentrated it. It lacked the concussive force of Katsuki's move, but was more accurate thanks to Izuka being able to control the darts once she'd launched them.

"You used the Feathers? You should have used Talon!" Katsuki complained, still a bit peeved he hadn't gotten to see it.

"Talon is my emergency move! I can't use it on a person, or even near people! It could do serious damage!" Izuka argued.

"Then it was wise not to use it. I assume a Hero Nerd like yourself has a lot of signature moves, right?" Aizawa-Sensei said with a knowing look. Izuka blushed and nodded, trying to block out the amazed looks of her classmates.

Mineta was last, and used his quirk to completely cover a human target in his purple balls, essentially immobilising them (if they'd been a moving person at least) before dashing and slapping them across the chest in a move he called "Grape Rush!"

Aizawa looked less impressed, but still commented; "A good move for capture, though with such a weak slap, it ended kind of anti-climatically. I guess you could improve it with some support items. Also improve your aim, that way you can immobilise your opponent without using so many balls and save yourself time."

As that was the last move being showcased, Aizawa-Sensei called for the robots to deal with the remains of the targets then turned back to his students; "Right, now get changed back into your uniforms and come to the Classroom. We've still got more of the Principal's requirements to meet." he said, a tad bitterly.

The class nodded and ran back to the changing rooms. Izuka was interested in what the Principal was making Aizawa do, but she was drawn from her thoughts when she realised she had been surrounded by all the other girls. "Uh, a-are you guys okay? D-Did you need something?" she stuttered nervously.

"You were pretty amazing out there, Midori!" Ashido cheered, "You seem so timid, but then you totally kicked ass!"

"Yeah, and you even talked back to Aizawa-Sensei. That took guts." Jiro added.

Izuka blushed, "W-Well I felt he was being a little unfair. Plus, it's a Hero's job to butt into others business for the sake of helping them, right?"

Momo chuckled; "As expected of you, Izuka! I'm glad I was at least beaten by a real Hero!"

The Invisible Girl; Toru Hagakure, piped up; "Heck yeah! Two girls took the top two spots in the class! Midoriya and Yaoyorozu are the best!"

"You should have seen Izuka take down the Zero Pointer! The move she used made her Phoenix Feathers look like sparklers!" Ochako added.

Asui tilted her head, a finger to her lips; "I've been meaning to ask; aren't you the same girl from the Moncalama Incident? The one that got an award for protecting the Village and saving two Pros by beating the Villain?"

"I knew I recognised your name from somewhere!" Ashido exclaimed, "Midori, you're amazing!"

Izuka waved her hands frantically, "N-No! It was nothing like that! The Heroes; Water Hose did most of the actual work, I was just able to assist enough to make it a more decisive victory! I got so much credit because my quirk let me heal them after the fight."

"Just as you healed All-Might after the All for One Kidnappings?" Asui asked.

That silenced the girls quickly, especially when Izuka looked away. Many people praised her for coming away from the kidnapping with so little trauma, and for healing All-Might, but not many really thought about the people who didn't come away at all, other than those people's families. Izuka was only one of thirty six people kidnapped, including the lesser known pro; Clementine Man, and yet all the others were killed after having their quirks stolen or deemed useless.

"Y-Yeah, that was me too. I'm kind of shy when it comes to people I'm not familiar with, and I still don't like crowds." Izuka shrugged, her eyes downcast.

"Jeez… What exactly did they do to you, Midori? You were taken for a whole year?" Ashido asked.

"Ashido!" Jiro scolded as Izuka flinched.

"Ah crap, I'm sorry Midori. You don't need to tell us anything you don't want to!" the pink girl quickly apologised.

"It's fine." Izuka said, smiling softly, "It's not like I don't want to say, but I'm not really allowed to. If that changes, I'll tell you." she explained. Strictly speaking, it was true; she didn't mind telling others but the Government had forbidden it unless it was unavoidable. Plus, a small part of Izuka feared telling others, in case they blamed her or judged her for what happened. Izuka wouldn't blame them; at her lowest moments, she blamed and judged herself.

Asui nodded; "I'm sorry for bringing it up, but I always like to say what's on my mind. Saving All-Might and helping in the Moncalama Incident already makes you a Hero, at least in my opinion. Call me Tsuyu."

"O-Okay, Tsuyu! You can call me Izuka!" the girl smiled, "You can all call me that, if you like. I'd like us to be friends!"

"Yes! We definitely want to be friends! Call me Mina!" Ashido said, jumping up and down happily.

"And me, Toru!" Hagakure added, gesturing even more wildly so she was noticed.

"You can call me Kyoka." Jiro said, pulling out her phone. The other girls did the same and they all exchanged numbers. By the time they were done, they quickly dressed and high-tailed it back to the classroom.

When everyone was back and seated, Aizawa appeared from behind his desk, once again wrapped in his sleeping bag. "Alright, since the Hero Department doesn't have it's own Entrance Ceremony like the other departments, we'll be doing a meet and greet before I said you home. Come up here and tell us all your name, your quirk and if you feel like it, some stuff about you and why you became a Hero. Do it in seat order; Aoyama, you first."

The flamboyant blond hopped to his feet and stood in front of the class, basking in the attention, his sparkles on full blast. "I am the shining Yuga Aoyama! My quirk, Naval Laser, lets me shoot a sparkling laser from my belly button! I will become the most dazzling hero to ever live!" he declared, striking numerous poses.

Next was Mina; "Hi! I'm Mina Ashido and my quirk is Acid. I can secrete acid from pretty much anywhere, and can control the viscosity and potency of it! As a side effect, I have this awesome pink skin, but don't ask about the horns; I have no idea what the deal with them is, but they're kind of rubbery!" she proved this by bending one of the horns and making it flick. "I like dancing, so if any of you are into freestyle dancing, then come talk to me! I can get you into an awesome studio!"

Then it was Tsuyu's turn; "Hello, I am Tsuyu Asui, but you can all call me Tsuyu. As you can see, my quirk gives me frog-like characteristics. I have a long tongue, can stick to walls and can create a weak poison. I'm currently working on camouflage too, and I have another ability, but it's gross so I won't explain it. I always say what is on my mind, and I like playing with my young siblings. I don't like the cold; it makes me want to hibernate." she said, before allowing Tenya to take the stage.

"I am Tenya Iida! My quirk is Engine and I am the younger brother of Ingenium, one of the greatest heroes! I wish to be just like him, so I'm going to work very hard!" he declared. Izuka was a little surprised when he sat down; she thought he'd have spoken for longer.

Ochako was the last in her row, and was clearly a bit embarrassed to be speaking in front of them all. "I'm Ochako Uraraka. My quirk is Zero Gravity, and I can remove the gravity from anything I touch, but if I push it, it makes me nauseous. I really like Mochi! I also live alone, since my parents live out in the countryside. I don't like fighting; I want to be a Rescue Hero like Thirteen!"

The new row started with Ojiro; "My name is Mashirao Ojiro. My quirk is just my tail, which is practically a third arm. I study martial arts to improve my skills so I can fight and defend people." he introduced. Izuka got the feeling he was a very straightforward and earnest person.

Next was the blond boy that Tenya had been scolding earlier. Now that she could see him better, Izuka noticed a few black streaks in his hair, which resembled a lightning bolt. "Hey, I'm Denki Kaminari. My quirk lets me discharge electricity, but if I use too much, it fries my brain and I kind of turn stupid for a while. I'm a fan of music, so if any of you like it too, let me know and we can have a jam session."

The red head was next; "I'm Eijiro Kirishima and I want to be a super manly hero like my idol; Crimson Riot! My quirk, Hardening, let's me harden my skin and gives me a kind of rocky appearance." he demonstrated, and his arm really did look like rock, "It ain't flashy, but it also let's me hit pretty hard, so I'm a fairly good fighter."

Next was Koji Koda, a large boy with a uniquely shaped head. He didn't actually speak and just wrote his name on a small whiteboard as well as his quirk; Anivoice, which let him talk to and control animals. He came across as shy and cute, despite his somewhat odd appearance, and Izuka couldn't help but feel he was a sweetheart.

Last in the row was Sato; "I am Rikido Sato. My quirk, Sugar Rush, improves my strength as I consume sugar, but it also reduces my cognitive functions and I get tired faster. Still, 'cause of my quirk, I love to bake, so I may occasionally bring in sweets for everyone." Katsuki smirked at that; he could practically feel Izuka salivating behind him. That girl LOVED sweets; she'd eat nothing else if her parents let her.

The next student was Mezo Shoji, a rather odd boy that kept his mouth covered and had six arms, three on either side connected by webbing. He briefly explained how he could change any of his arms into other parts of his body through his quirk: Dupli-Arms, but said little else besides that he had no real interest in material things. He seemed friendly, despite his rather imposing appearance.

Then came Jiro; "I'm Kyoka Jiro. My quirk, Earphone Jack, is the same as my mom's and it gives me super-hearing and lets me channel and amplify sound waves, usually my heartbeat. It's probably not a surprise that I love music. Both my parents are in the Music Industry, but I wanted to help others, so I want to be a Hero instead of following in their footsteps." she explained, a bashful look on her face as she fiddled with her jacks, poking the ends together. Izuka and the other girls clapped and cheered for her, making Kyoka smirk and return to her seat with a bit more courage.

Hanta Sero was next, but Katsuki found him to be boring. He was a fairly average teenage boy that had the desire to be a hero, though both Katsuki and Izuka couldn't deny he was friendly, and while he was very proud of his Tape Quirk, he wasn't arrogant about it and seemed to want to impress the class. He sat down happily after a few people clapped and shouted approving comments of his quirk. Izuka thought it would make an amazing capture method against Villains.

The Bird faced boy stood and introduced himself next; "I am Fumikage Tokoyami. My quirk, Dark Shadow, allows me to summon a sentient shadow that is connected to me. Despite being a shadow, it has a physical form and can be used for attack and defence." he summoned the creature, which looked like a simplified shadow version of Tokoyami himself that was connected to him. "He has a personality of his own and he grows stronger as it gets darker. As he grows more powerful, he becomes hard to control and in complete darkness, he is nearly unstoppable and will rampage. It is a tormented existence, for I love the darkness yet can never truly embrace it."

Katsuki felt like smacking himself to erase that line from his memory, but Izuka just felt sorry for the boy; it must be really hard to have a quirk that made it dangerous to embrace the things you loved! She smiled brightly as Tokoyami returned to his seat, making the boy recoil from the brightness of her happy face, though he did nod in appreciation.

Todoroki took his place at the front and simply revealed his name and said "My quirk makes Ice" before returning to his seat. He wasn't very sociable apparently.

Next was Invisible girl Toru; "Hi! I'm Toru Hagakure and my quirk makes me Invisible! I don't stand out much, so I'm sorry if I accidentally surprise you! I love those funny hidden camera shows too! Ooh, and I LOVE CARAMEL! Sato, if you make any of that, I'll love you forever!" she said, bubbly personality on full display. Sato grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

Izuka suddenly gulped when it was Katsuki's turn. "Please be nice..." she whispered. The boy just smirked (which did NOT make her feel better) as he took Toru's place at the front of the room.

"The name is Katsuki Bakugou. My quirk blows shit up and I am more than happy to use it on any dumbass that pisses me off. I'm going to be the Number One Hero in the future, and I won't hesitate to kick anyone's ass if they get in my way; guy or girl! Also, if any of you shits call me Kacchan, then I'll fucking kill you. End of intro." he said with a sneer, before taking his seat in dead silence, everyone either too scared or too shocked to comment or clap.

Izuka pouted as he smirked at her, but it was her turn so she had to take the stage and introduce herself. Since her Phoenix, Link Evolution and One for All quirks were all technically secret, Sir Nighteye had come up with a plausible explanation for an alternate quirk that would let her use most of her abilities.

"U-Um, Hello! My name is Izuka Midoriya. I know a lot of you might recognise the name, or my face, so I'll just say that yes, I am the same person from the Moncalama Incident and the All for One Kidnappings. If it's okay, I'd rather not talk about the latter. My quirk is named Omni-Flame and gives me a whole bunch of abilities based around fire. I can fly, create and control flames, I'm immune to fire completely, can use them to heal others by making Pink Flames and I can make ones that only exist inside my body; they're kind of green looking and make me super strong, but I can get hurt if I push my body's limits! Oh, and I can sort of change how fire reacts to me; it's usually untouchable, like this..." Izuka created a small fireball and put her hand inside it, "but if I want, I can make it a bit physical." the flames flickered for a moment and then Izuka touched it again, this time it moved and jiggled, almost like gel. "When it's solid, it still burns but can't spread and I can bounce off it. It also feels kind of like jelly." Izuka bounced the fireball like a rubber ball before banishing it. "I like drawing, and I want to be the best Rescue Hero, who can save everyone! Also, don't be scared of Kacchan; he is actually a nice guy once you get to know him!"

"Like fuck I am!" Katsuki yelled as Izuka took her seat. Still, the class clapped politely and the girls all smiled at her. A few people made muttered comments that with a quirk like hers, it was no wonder Izuka came first in the Apprehension test and there was more than a bit of admiration in their eyes. She much preferred that to the pity that had appeared when she mentioned the kidnappings.

The last two introductions were Mineta and Momo. Mineta was almost immediately labelled a pervert after talking for a solid minute on how much he loved girls, until Katsuki began making small explosions between his fingers, scaring Mineta into wrapping up his introduction and sitting down. Momo was much better received by the class; her Creation Quirk was the stuff of dreams and even Izuka, with her amazing quirk, was a little jealous of what Momo could do. With Momo's intellect and amazing quirk, she could easily reach the top of the class in any of U.A's programs.

When Momo sat down, Aizawa stood back up and sighed, "Alright, you've had the Apprehension Test to show you actually have a chance, and now you all know each other. Be warned, real classes start tomorrow and we won't hesitate to kick you to the curb if we judge you to be a detriment to the program or have no chance of progressing further. We're going to work you to the bone, little eggs." he said, a scary smirk appearing on his face.

Izuka smiled, feeling anticipation building inside her; together with Class 1-A, they were going to become amazing Heroes!


	8. Foundations of a Hero

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 8: Foundations of a Hero**

The first day of a Lessons at U.A brought a wave of nostalgia for Izuka. She'd been coming to U.A for tutoring since she was ten, but it was a very different experience than the traditional classroom setting, which she hadn't been a part of since she was kidnapped during Elementary School. Sitting behind a desk, surrounded by her peers while listening to a teacher lecturing was a much less personal experience compared to the tutoring, but she couldn't deny that she liked it. The lessons themselves were fairly easy, since Izuka had been studying with Nezu, but they were made interesting by the teachers themselves, all of whom were Pro-Heroes! Present Mic taught English, Cementoss taught Modern Literature, Ectoplasm taught Mathematics and even Midnight taught a lesson; Modern Hero Art History.

The classes themselves were fairly normal despite the Hero Teachers, though each one did discreetly acknowledge Izuka (or at least Ectoplasm and Cementoss did, Present Mic outright called her out to chat before class, and Midnight insisted on her hugging her in front of all of Class 1-A when she first walked into the room). Even Lunch was a normal experience made interesting by the person in charge; the Cooking Hero Lunch-Rush!

But finally, the afternoon came and just as Aizawa was settling the class for the Pre-Hero Studies Homeroom, the door was thrown open. "I AM HERE!"

Izuka grinned, "He came!"

All-Might, dressed in his Silver Age Costume, burst through the door "I'M COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!" he announced, noticeably NOT entering through he door like a normal person.

The class went wild; "I can't believe it! All-Might's really gonna be teaching us!"

"Check out that costume! It's so Silver Age it gives me goosebumps!"

Aizawa just scowled at the man; "You're early for the first time in your life and in the process, interrupt Homeroom… only you, All-Might..."

All-Might's smile turned bashful, "Ah! My apologies, Aizawa! I wanted to come early so I could give my introductions and get to know the class before we do the first Hero Activity! I also brought some Upperclassmen to talk to you all!"

Aizawa just sighed; "I'll leave it to you then. Just don't keep those three out of class for long." he said, already having guessed who the Upperclassmen were. He walked out and three Third Years walked in. Two boys and a girl; the first boy was very muscular and had blond hair reminiscent of a young Present Mic, though is face was… oddly plain. The second boy was a gloomy looking guy with wild black hair and the final student, the girl, had very long light blue hair that reached her legs and twisted as it reached her waist.

All-Might smiled at them and Izuka practically jumped out of her seat; "Mirio-Senpai!"

"Izuka! It's good to see you as a Student finally! The Nurse's office has been a more sombre place without you scampering about!" the blond boy grinned, ruffling Izuka's hair.

Seeing the class looking confused, All-Might introduced them; "Class, these are the three top ranked students among the Third Years here, and are thus the top three Hero Students in both U.A and the country as a whole! We call them the Big Three!"

"I've heard of these guys… they're on a whole other level compared to us." Jiro commented.

"Yes, these three are the Pride of U.A!" All-Might said, gesturing towards the dark-haired boy; "Let's start with brief introductions! Amajiki, you start us off!"

The dark haired boy's eyes shifted and his glance sent much of the class reeling from the intense impact. Even Izuka, who knew the guy already, was unable to fully resist the strong look.

"It's no good… Mirio… Hado..." he said darkly. The class gulped; was he judging them hopeless!? Suddenly, the boy's shaking became noticeable; "No matter how hard I try to see them as potatoes, only their heads turn! They keep human bodies so I can't see them as anything but human! What do I do…? The words won't come…!"

1-A exchanged curious looks, "My mind's going blank… it hurts..." Amajiki turned and put his head against the blackboard, "I wanna go home…!"

Izuka frowned, "Uh, Tamaki-Senpai? It's alright! Everyone here is nice!" she said, remembering how shy this guy was from the occasions he came to the Nurse's office with Mirio.

Tamaki Amajiki turned to look at her and she smiled kindly, making him immediately shove his face back against the blackboard. "Mirio, I can't deal with your friend! She's too sunny for me!"

The female third year just giggled, "Hehe, don't worry boys and girls, this guy is Tamaki Amajiki; he's kind of a chicken, even though he's human! Weird right? Anyway, I'm Nejire Hado! All-Might-Sensei asked us to come talk to you and inspire you!"

Unfortunately, Hado's attention was immediately taken by asking everyone strange questions and moving on before actually getting an answer. She even asked Todoroki about his scar, which made the boy glare. "You're all so interesting! Izuchan, you've got to tell me about all of 'em!"

Izuka just sighed; "Nejire-Senpai, I can't give people's personal information without their permission!"

All-Might looked just as lost as the rest of the class. "Ah, I see Fatgum and Ryukyu weren't kidding when they said even your personality quirks were amazing! You kids can probably already guess this, but Young Midoriya has already met these three while training her Healing Quirk with Recovery Girl."

"Don't worry, All-Might! I'm the key performer for today anyway!" Mirio grinned, giving the Pro a thumbs up. "Greetings Class 1-A! I am Mirio Togata, your Senpai!"

He made a strange pose that somewhat resembled a mix of All-Might's muscle pose and Sir Night Eye's "glasses correction" pose, making him look like a Jojo. "You are all about to take your first lesson in Heroism, a very important step for young heroes, but as scary as it may seem, as serious and dangerous as it looks, all you need to do is put your heart into it and work hard! Even if you fail, you can learn from your failures and grow stronger! Izuchan can tell you how badly I did in my first year!"

The class looked to Izuka, who blushed at the attention, but still nodded; "Mirio-Senpai made lots of mistakes and did really badly at first. I can't count the number of times I healed his bruises. He even messed up during a Sports Festival. But that all turned around toward the end of his first year."

"Yes! That was when I started my Internship at Sir Nighteye's Agency! He helped me cultivate my abilities and become as skilled as I am, and yet I still have a long way to go." Mirio cheered, "Just remember; so long as you stay determined and optimistic, then no matter how low you fall, you can rise back up! Trust yourselves, trust each other and grow strong! PLUS ULTRA!"

Everyone cheered and shouted "PLUS ULTRA!" with even Tamaki-Senpai coming out of his shell a bit and cheering as well, though much quieter. All-Might nodded enthusiastically and patted all three third years on the back; "Well said, Young Togata! Sir Nighteye often tells me about how well you're doing! Fatgum and Ryukyu spend just as much time bragging about you two as well, Young Hado and Amajiki!"

The Big Three left with smiles and waves, leaving Class 1-A pumped and ready for action. As they walked down the hallway, Nejire turned to the boys; "They're a pretty interesting group. A lot of strong quirks, and a lot of strong personalities too. A lot more potential than our own class had back then."

"Plus, they've got the most recommendation kids; the daughter of the Government Bigwig, Endeavor's son and even the mysterious Midoriya from the All for One kidnappings." Tamaki commented quietly.

"Has Sir Nighteye explained more about her?" Nejire asked, looking to Mirio.

"Nope! Sir just said to look out for her, as she'll be important in the future. I was pretty shocked when I found out the adorable little medic was already important! Sir was really protective over her, and apparently she has a connection to All-Might!" Mirio grinned. He privately made a note to ask to see the video of Class 1-A's first Hero Lesson.

Back in the classroom, the students were still chattering excitedly as All-Might cheerfully listened to the enthusiasm of his students as he waited for the Homeroom Period to end so he could start the lesson proper. A few people ended up crowding around Izuka's desk.

"Hey Midoriya, you've really trained with Recovery Girl?" Kirishima asked with a grin.

"Yeah, she's the only one around with a Healing Quirk anything like mine. My healing uses blood, both mine and my patient's, so if I push it too hard, I can become anaemic or suffer some really bad side-effects from the blood loss, so it was decided I'd train with Recovery Girl to control it." Izuka explained with a faint blush, "So if any of you get hurt at all, I'll take care of you! Seriously; come to me even if it's just a paper cut or you feel sick; I heal illnesses too!"

"That's really useful. With so many wild quirks in our class, I bet you'll get a lot of use out of that quirk." Kyoka smirked, remembering Aoyama's stomach aches, Ochako's nausea and Kaminari's… electricity induced stupidity.

"Say, can you heal scars? I've got one on my finger from a baking incident a few years ago." Sato asked, showing his left hand. A faint white line marred the inside of the finger from where a knife has slipped from Sato's grip and cut into it. Izuka just shook her head sadly, trying not to notice how Todoroki's hands clenched on his desk.

"I can only heal wounds that are recent. If it was cut again and the scar tissue was removed, then my flames would heal it back to how it used to look, but my flames don't recognise scar tissue as an injury, so I can't fix it." Izuka explained.

Sato just grinned, "Well, let's see it then!" he said, and before Izuka could stop him, he used a small pocket knife to skilfully cut himself were his scar was. Izuka yelped and quickly conjured her pink flames and healed the cut before a drop of blood could spill to the floor. Just as she said, the wound healed immediately and no scar was left behind, but just as Sato was happily inspecting his now-blemish free finger, Izuka lightly smacked him on the head, having to jump a bit due to their height difference.

"Don't do that again! Never ever hurt yourself, especially just to get rid of a scar!" she scolded, looking more upset than angry. "If you do that again, then...then I won't heal it and you'll just have to leave it to heal on it's own!" she threatened. Of course her threat was a blatant lie and both Katsuki and All-Might could see it clearly.

"S-Sorry Midoriya! I just wanted to see the pink flames; they were really cool. Tell you what; I'll make your favourite sweet as an apology! What do you like?" Sato said, guilt swamping him as he looked at the big, doe-like eyes of the small girl.

Izuka blushed and tried to look angry still, but it just came across as an adorable pout. "I-I'm still mad at you! A bribe won't change that..." her face reddened another shade, "But can you make some Salted Caramel? I really like those..."

Sato just grinned and nodded, "I'll make you a whole bag of it!"

Izuka perked up, "Great! Um, I actually wanted to ask, if you ever want some company when baking, then let me know! My mom and dad are great cooks and they've taught me almost everything I know. It'd be nice to make some good desserts for them and the class." she said, apparently forgetting her earlier anger. Everyone that had been listening burst into laughter, making Izuka squeak and blush adorably.

She didn't know it, but the entire class had just labelled her; "Adorable Cinnamon Bunny".

Katsuki smirked at her, but privately decided to lay down some ground rules with the other guys… no need to let them think they might have a chance with HIS bunny. All-Might turned his back and his shoulders shook with the overwhelming urge to hug his adorable child. He'd have to go to the Security office later to get pictures from the camera feed so he could show Inko. Inko had cried happy tears for an hour after learning that Izuka had made friends with several classmates.

When the bell rang to signal the end of Home Room, All-Might ushered everyone back to their seats and began his first lesson; "Foundation Hero Studies! As the name suggests, we'll be building upon your Hero Foundation with a series of trials! Who can name the three official classifications of Hero Work and what they mean?"

Several hands raised and All-Might chose Iida; "The first classification is Combat! It relates to when a Hero is required to battle with Criminals and/or Villains."

"Correct! Now you!" All-Might pointed to Sero.

"Uh, Rescue? It's when Heroes rescue people from dangerous situations, right?" Sero answered.

"Also correct, but you should show more confidence! Lastly, you!" All-Might pointed to Katsuki.

The Explosive Boy raised an eyebrow; "No clue… I only ever heard of Combat and Rescue."

His words were echoed by most of the class. Very few people knew the third classification, even among officials and the public. Only Izuka and Momo had their arms raised. All-Might grinned and chose Izuka, "Think you know the answer, young Midoriya?"

"Yes Sensei." wow, it felt weird to call her Dad Sensei… "The third classification is Support. People forget about it because they confuse it with the concept of Support Items made for Heroes. It refers to those that assist in Emergencies without actually fighting or performing direct rescue. It includes things such as containing disasters, tracking villains, healing the injured, clearing debris and enabling other Heroes to do their jobs more effectively. Most Heroes specialise in Combat or Rescue, but EVERY Hero had done Support Work, either because their quirk isn't suitable for the situation or they are simply needed more elsewhere." Izuka said.

All-Might gave her a big thumbs up, "Very good! A good example of a Support Hero is Recovery Girl! Healing Heroes are rare but very useful in emergencies, since it's next to impossible to escape an Emergency without someone getting hurt. But for today, we'll be performing a Combat Oriented Trial!" the Pro held up a small card with the word Combat on it., "And to go with your first combat trial, we've prepared your Hero Gear! The Support Class made it all to your specifications!"

Everyone cheered excitedly. Izuka pulled a tiny package from her backpack; her mom had wanted to help contribute to the costume, but was limited because of Izuka's costumes needing to be fireproof, so Inko had secretly gone to see the tailor that made Izuka's day clothes and worked under his tutelage to create an accessory for Izuka's costume. Gripping the package and the case containing her full package, Izuka followed the other girls to the dressing rooms, All-Might's voice echoing behind them all; "And don't forget, from the moment you suit up, you are Heroes!"

When Katsuki reached the boys locker room, he decided now was as good a time as any to have his little talk with the other guys. "Hey, you bastards keep your paws off Izuka. She's mine." he growled, as blunt as ever.

The other boys stared at him as if he'd just announced that he was the Queen of Monaco and to be honest, compared to the idea of the Explosive, Brash Boy being in a relationship with Sweet and Gentle Izuka Midoriya, the former was more likely. Tenya, not really fully grasping the meaning of what Katsuki had said, stood to scold the boy. "Bakugou! I admire that you are protective of your friend, but it is not up to you to decide that Izuka cannot have other friends!"

"That's not what he means, Iida." Kirishima interrupted, more than a little shocked by Katsuki's words. "Bro, when you say Midoriya is yours, do you really mean she's your girlfriend or just that you like her and WANT her to be your girlfriend?"

"She's my girlfriend and don't you fucks forget it! We've been dating since we were like, thirteen or some shit. I don't give a shit if you want to be friends with her, the Little Rabbit would probably love that, but if you start trying to make a move on her, I'll kill you, got it!?" Katsuki yelled.

"Oh, that's cool. To be honest, I'm glad she is your girlfriend; if you had just wanted her to be, I'd have said it was super unmanly to stake a claim on her, like you own her or something. It's still kind of weird even if you are dating, but I guess some couples are like that." Kirishima said, smiling and brushing off Katsuki's threatening looks.

"Still, of all the guys in class to already have a girlfriend, it had to be Bakugou..." Kaminari lamented, "And of all the girls, you're dating the most innocent one!"

"Damn Bakugou! Already the second day and he poaches one of the cuter girls!" Mineta cursed under his breath.

The other boys were either uninterested or friendly about Katsuki's revelation, though they all had to admit being curious about the dynamic of Izuka and Katsuki. A few feared that the Explosive Boy was potentially abusive or forcing the innocent girl, but said nothing in case Bakugou blew them up. They resolved to ask Izuka herself later…

Unbeknownst to the boys, the girls were having a similar conversation as they dressed, and it had all started with a teasing comment from Jiro.

"So, Mirio-Senpai huh? I didn't know you had such a way with boys, Izuka." Jiro grinned, already changed thanks to the simplicity of her costume.

"Hey yeah! Is Mirio-Senpai someone special to you? He seemed glad to see you!" Toru added, also dressed (undressed?) into her costume.

Izuka blushed at the insinuation; "No! Mirio-Senpai is just my Senpai! He is interned with Sir Nighteye, who is friends with my dad, plus I healed him a lot during my training with Recovery Girl."

"Aw, that's a shame. Has anyone here got a boyfriend, or even HAD a boyfriend?" Mina asked, pouting a bit.

Izuka shyly raised her hand as the other girls shook their heads or replied "No" with various levels of sadness or ambivalence. They all suddenly stopped and stared at Izuka, shocked that it was the most timid girl in class that had a boyfriend. "No way… Who!? When!?" Ochako asked, only half in her skintight bodysuit.

"Uh, well it was during my Mom's wedding a few years back. We'd been friends since we were born, and it just kind of… grew into us going out. He didn't really ask me out, but we both knew. Besides, that's Kacchan's style." Izuka mumbled embarrassedly.

"KACCHAN!?" they all screamed, making Izuka jump and yelp in surprise.

"No way… That guy is dating you? What the heck!?" Mina said, completely frozen with shock.

"It's surprising, Kero, but it explains why you are able to talk to him so easily." Tsuyu added.

"That is certainly… unexpected. Please don't take offence, but with his personality and yours; he isn't forcing you or anything, right?" Momo asked, nervous both for Izuka and her potential reaction.

Izuka's tempered flared for a moment, but she beat it back. "Kacchan is very nice! He curses a lot, which I don't like, and he is way too eager to fight sometimes, but he is really a good guy! He has never forced me to do anything I didn't want to do!"

"Ah, sorry to make such an assumption, I was just worried about you. If you two are happy together, then I'm glad!" Momo smiled, before trying out her new "Big Sister" Act. "But if he does anything to make you cry, I'm going to make a special muzzle and cuffs to keep him quiet as the girls and I "talk" with him, okay?"

"Heck yeah! Protect the Adorable Cinnamon Bunny!" Toru cheered.

"The what!?" Izuka squeaked, but no matter how much she begged, the other girls wouldn't explain what that meant. Did they think she looked like a bunny? Kacchan called her a Rabbit sometimes too, and Cinnamon was his favourite sweet flavour. Was that the girls' way of being supportive? She smiled at the thought and finished changing, running to meet the rest of the class outside.

Her costume was a white skintight bodysuit that covered her body completely, stopping at her ankles, wrists and throat. She wore knee high boots that were coloured red and equipped with metal soles and braces to support her legs. Her elbow length fingerless gloves were of the same design; red with braces for her arms, and metal on the inside of the knuckles. Around her waist was a gold belt connected to an orange-gold skirt that reached her mid-thigh, and at the back was a circular pouch, coloured orange with a green leaf stitched into the lid, making it look like an orange. It was her own little tribute to Clementine Man, the Hero that had died to restore her hope during her year of captivity. Izuka also wore a chest length shawl in the same colour as her skirt. While neither the skirt nor the shawl were needed, Izuka liked them for the sake of modesty, as they covered her chest and backside, which was pronounced due to the skintight bodysuit. On her head, Izuka wore a hair band that could be connected to special ear pieces. The band was red and had two small prongs that Izuka would ignite, causing them to resemble long flaming rabbit ears (modelled after All-Might's hair style). Her hair was tied into a ponytail with a red hair tie, and around her throat was a choker; the gift from her mother. It was pure white, with gold around the edges and a Phoenix shaped pendant that hung from the front.

When the class saw it, many smiled and thought; _"Adorable Cinnamon Bunny!"_

With the flaming ears and the pouch on her backside looking like an orange rabbit tail, the comparison was a bit unavoidable. Katsuki blushed a bit at the costume, and All-Might could barely restrain his pride, forcing himself to simply give the girl a thumbs up. With everyone now aware of the relationship between Katsuki and Izuka, they suddenly noticed that Katsuki's costume matched the colour scheme of Izuka's.

Katsuki wore a white v-neck tank top with a red X on the front that appeared to be made of fire. He wore white pants with red belts that held up his white and red knee pads. His boots were also white, with red buttons and soles. Most noticeably though was his weaponry; a collection of red grenade-like objects on his waist and large red grenade shaped gauntlets. Katsuki had chosen to forgo a mask.

" _They're a pair!"_ All-Might thought with a grin. "Excellent costumes everyone! Now, we'll be training in Ground Beta!" he declared, walking the class over to the city-like training ground. It had been rapidly repaired following the Entrance Exams and was now in almost identical condition, though Izuka's keen eye noticed a slight difference in the skyline.

"Now, I'll explain today's trial! This is going to be an Attack and Defend Team Battle; in teams of five, you will take turns defending an area and attacking an area. At the beginning of the exercise, I will give the defending team the coordinates of a location and have you go guard it. Your goal is to maintain control of the location until time ends, or until every member of the attacking team is captured or retired. Attacking Teams will be given the general location of the Defence Team and from there, it is your job to locate them and capture their building by defeating or capturing every member of the Defence Team, or captured each control point in the building by replacing the Defence Flag with the Attack Flag!"

Momo hummed, "So it's like a game of Capture the Flag, but only one team has flags."

"Correct! Heroes are occasionally required to locate and defeat villains or secure areas with very little information beyond general area, so the attacking teams will be learning how to locate the enemy and capture key areas. On the flip side, it is possible for Heroes to become besieged by enemies and have to defend a location until help can reach them, so the Defence Team will be learning how to do this! Naturally, both teams will be learning how to fight others with Quirks!" All-Might smiled, before showing the class a piece of paper. It was a simple diagram of the letters A, B, C and D, arranged into a square with a red arrow pointing to the next letter and a blue arrow pointed to the previous one. "So that everyone experiences both sides, each team will attack one other team and defend against yet another one. Team A will attack Team B and defend against Team D for example."

"So how do we determine the teams?" Tenya asked.

"It's already decided! Your teams will be the rows you sit in in class! Team A is Aoyama, Ashido, Asui, Iida and Uraraka. Team B is Ojiro, Kaminari, Kirishima, Koda and Sato. Team C is Shoji, Jiro, Sero, Tokoyami and Todoroki. And lastly; Team D is Hagakure, Bakugou, Midoriya, Mineta and Yaoyorozu! There will be ten minutes between each match so the defenders can rest before having to become attackers in the next fight!" All-Might said, showing more diagrams that were simply the Teams with childish doodles of each person on the team surrounding the letter.

Izuka hummed in thought; so there would be four matches; Attacker A VS Defender B, Attacker B VS Defender C, Attacker C VS Defender D and Attacker D VS Defender A. That mean Izuka would be participating in the final two matches, first as a Defender, then as an Attacker. She smiled a bit; Defending was a harder job than attacking and it would give them an idea of what offensive strategies would work best. As she muttered to herself, Team B was given their location by All-Might and the rest of the class went to the Ground Beta observation room to watch the match. Team A remained outside, waiting until Team B were settled before they could begin the battle. The ten minutes before the match would start was used by all the teams to plan and get a good idea of what to do.

"We're lucky. Since our matches are last, we get to observe both how both our opponents will fight." Momo said as their team huddled around in a corner of the Observation Room.

Katsuki, now raring to go, smirked; "Ponytail, you're a brainy type, right?"

"Well, I am smart. I always ranked first in exams at my old school." Momo admitted, somewhat bashfully.

"Then you and Izuka are our strategists. I'm the vanguard and will focus on exploding the shit out of the enemy. Invisible, you're our scout. Grape, you're support; if the enemy is being a bunch of wriggly bastards, you catch 'em with your quirk! Izuka, you're our emergency Vanguard and healer; if these guys gang up on me, I might need your help to fight 'em off or heal up. Ponytail, you're our supply box; create anything we need to blast through these shits." Katsuki said, easily taking the role of leader. One of the lessons he'd learned from Izuka's kidnapping, and built upon in the training with Izuka and All-Might, was that NO ONE was invincible and NO ONE was useless; using everything at your disposal is the best way to not only win, but secure an easy, crushing victory and to Katsuki, crushing your opponent completely even when they tried their best was the sweetest kind of victory.

"Hey, you should really try to remember our names!" Toru protested, "But the plan is good."

"While I agree with Toru, it might be good to have code names for this." Izuka smiled, "What should we go with?"

"Hot Stud is me, Double D is Yaoyorozu, Cute Ass is Midoriya, Floating Panties is Hagakure, Blasty is Bakugou!" Mineta announced. Momo frowned and covered her chest, while Izuka squeaked and hid behind the taller girl. Toru was growling like an angry cat and Katsuki looked ready to punt the pervy little shit into the sun.

"Bitch, I will end you." Katsuki growled, barely restraining himself from attacking.

"H-How about we use animals? Toru can be Chameleon, Kacchan can be Lion, Momo can be Owl, Mineta can be Spider and I'll be Rabbit?" Izuka offered, hoping to draw attention away from killing Mineta (and her apparently cute backside.)

"I agree with that." Momo smiled, "But why Owl and Spider?" Momo understood the others, but not those two.

"Well Owls are symbols of wisdom, and since you're really smart, it suits you. And Spiders trap their prey with sticky traps, so it matches Mineta."

Their conversation was cut short by All-Might announcing that the first match was beginning. Izuka and her team gathered around the monitor to watch Teams A and B fight for control of a building, which was somewhat modelled on a small hospital. The building had five floors and control flags were set up in the two wards, the operating theatre, the paediatric ward and the Director's office. Team B, consisting of Ojiro, Kaminari, Kirishima, Koda and Sato, was the only all-boy team and was also the least diverse in abilities, with almost all of them revolving around combat. The only exceptions was Ojiro using his tail for manoeuvrability and Koda's control of animals. As attackers, Team B would have a hard time, but as Defenders, they were in their element.

Katsuki watched as Team A carefully explored the area, trying to determine which building was the important one. None of them had detection style quirks, so their scouting was limited to Iida running fast and Asui climbing around on the walls. Uraraka was also lifting Ashido with her quirk, but they were slower than the other two thanks to the drawback of Uraraka's quirk. Suddenly, Katsuki's eyes flickered to the birds; they were behaving oddly; following the Attackers and occasionally flying back to the Hospital Building.

"That Animal guy is using the birds as scouts, right?" Katsuki muttered, only Izuka close enough to hear.

"Yeah. In an urban area, birds are the most common animal; bad for combat, but great scouts as no one pays much attention to them." Izuka replied.

Apparently, Tsuyu had come to the same conclusion and thanks to spotting a bird flying into the Hospital, she was able to correctly assume which building was guarded. She warned her team over their earpieces and Team A converged in an alley beside the Hospital. Once gathered, Tsuyu clung to the walls and climbed around the building; carefully peaking into the windows and discovering where each of the enemy team members were, as well as the locations of the flags. Each of the Team B Members was guarding one of the flags, with Koda in the Director's office since it was the hardest to reach and he was the only source of scouting. Unfortunately for Team A, the birds had warned Team B and now they were on guard. Kaminari suddenly jumped out of the building and shot a massive discharge aimed at the whole of Team A. His electricity managed to zap Tsuyu, who was left unconscious, but Tenya was able to escape with Ochako and Mina, while Aoyama had luckily avoided it due to rocketing himself away with his laser.

Kaminari's attack was intended to disable the whole team, so he had used all his juice, rendering him stupid alongside the stunned Tsuyu. Tenya slapped the capture tape over his wrists and the group invaded the Hospital, using Ochako to float each of them up to the top floor. Koda and his flag were easily captured by Tenya's speed and following that, the rest of Team B were soon captured. Sato used too much sugar and crashed before being able to do anything but swing wildly at the acrobatic Mina. Ojiro put up a good fight, but Aoyama was able to blast him with his laser, leaving him dazed for long enough for Ochako to use the capture tape. Kirishima was the last one to fall, but in the end, he couldn't simultaneously defend against lasers, Tenya's strong legs, or the chunks of concrete melted out of the walls and dropped on his head by Mina and Ochako.

"Team B is unable to continue! Team A is the victor!" All-Might announced. Both teams returned to the Observation Room, Tsuyu and Kaminari being carried as they hadn't recovered yet. As soon as they arrived, Izuka set to work healing them; easily restoring Tsuyu and those with combat injuries. It was a bit harder to heal Kaminari's overloaded brain, Ochako's nausea and Aoyama's stomach pain, since they weren't normal conditions, but as they were still physical effects, Izuka was ultimately able to fix them.

"Thank you for that, Young Midoriya! Now, who can tell me the MVP of the Attackers and the Defenders?" All-Might grinned.

"The most effective Defender was definitely Koda." Kyoka answered, making the quiet boy blush and wave his hands shyly. "His quirk kept the Defenders clued into what was happening. Without him, the Defenders would have had no chance."

"Correct! Well said, Young Jiro! Young Koda, you were instrumental to your team and it was an ingenious use of your quirk! Well done! Now, what about the MVP Attacker?" the Pro asked.

"That would be Iida." Momo said, "He was the most versatile, scouting and attacking, plus it was only thanks to him that 80% of his team wasn't knocked out by Kaminari's suicide attack. He protected his teammates while also fighting the enemy."

Tenya puffed up with pride, smiling widely as All-Might nodded and approved of Momo's answer. "Well done! Now, Team B will be swapping to the role of Attackers! Team C, here is your location; go prepare while Team B rests up!" All-Might ordered, handing a slip of paper to Tokoyami and sending the team on it's way.

As the ten minutes went, Team D gathered around again; "So, we have to attack those A guys. What do you think?" Mineta asked.

"With Mina and Aoyama, they have a lot of destructive power. Tenya is strong too, but he relies on speed more than power. Ochako is a utility player, but we don't know much about Tsuyu's combat prowess thanks to Kaminari. Stealth seems to be her most dangerous feature." Izuka said, slowly devolving into mumbles as she went.

"Glasses will need to be slowed down so I can punch him. Owl, you think you can make caltrops and tripwires?" Katsuki asked.

"I can. They're not very hard. I can also make us some shields to defend against Aoyama's laser, but Mina's acid is another story; I have no clue what it's made of or the limits of what it can melt through." Momo said, looking frustrated with herself.

"Punching Pinky is going to be a pain in the ass. Rabbit, think you can kick her ass?" Katsuki looked to his girlfriend. Izuka just nodded with a smile, confident she could win. Before any more plans could be made, the next round began with Team B attacking Team C.

Team C was protecting what looked like a bank, with control points in the vault, two offices, bank floor and on the roof. The match began as Izuka predicted it would; with Koda using his birds to find the other team. Jiro and Shoji of Team C were using their own abilities to detect them through the use of super hearing, but the moment they reported the locations of Team B, the match essentially ended. Todoroki walked out to were Team B had gathered and in an instant, he froze the entire enemy team (and a good chunk of the surrounding area) in a thick layer of ice, leaving only their heads exposed. With no way to free themselves, Team B was forced to surrender, furious at having lost both rounds.

Katsuki, not taking his eyes off the screen, spoke to Izuka; "Half n Half is yours. If he freezes me before I can work up a sweat, I won't be able to escape, so we'll need you to fry his ass."

Izuka gulped and nodded; "Y-Yeah, but still, Todoroki's power is scarily strong! Momo, do you think you can make something to help everyone else deal with the ice?"

Momo nodded; "I can produce a flamethrower, though it's small. I can also make spikes to go over your shoes to stop you slipping."

Teams B and C returned to the rest of the class and All-Might patted the boys of Team B on the back. "You did well and tried your best! You simply came up against an unfortunate match up! Remember this for next time!" the Hero praised, trying to cheer them up. "So, it's probably a bit pointless to ask, but who were the MVPs?"

"Koda and Todoroki. Koda was the only attacker that actually had a chance to act, and Todoroki basically took out the whole opposing team in an instant!" Tenya explained. Secretly, he was happy that his Team A was the only team that wouldn't have to face off with Todoroki's group.

All-Might nodded in agreement; "Right! Now Team D is the defending team and Team C will attack! You've got ten minutes to get to your location and set up for the defence!" he said, handing a note with the location to Katsuki, who had become the leader of the group. Katsuki stared at the note for a moment then smirked and led his team out of the Observation Room.

Team D's building was actually a construction site, with only a concrete shell of a building, an on-site office, some portable bathrooms and a large crane. The control points were all out in the open, making it easy for the attackers to see where they were, as well as where the defenders were. All-Might had given Team D the toughest place to defend.

"Rabbit, Owl, got any plans?" Katsuki asked, slouching against a concrete pillar beside the control point of the building.

"I've got a good idea of what the enemy is doing. Kyoka and Shoji are the main scouts and can locate us from a distance, but that's somewhat nullified by the open nature of this area; we're so easy to see, making such powers kind of irrelevant. Still, we'll need to take them down from a distance to allow Toru to move without detection." Izuka began, "Sero's tape will also prove a problem, as it gives him great 3D manoeuvrability and long range capture. Tokoyami's dark shadow is likely to be the least effective of their combat forces, but in the shade, he'll get stronger. Then there's Todoroki..."

Momo nodded; "I can nullify Kyoka, if I have some help from Lion."

Toru jumped up and down; "Momo, make me a Taser and I'll take out Sero!"

Momo agreed and created a small taser that was packing a lot of power; easily enough to knock out a full grown man. "Shoji's also going to be really strong, so it would be best to catch him quickly."

"Spider, do you think you could do that?" Izuka asked, looking to Mineta.

"Heck yeah! It doesn't matter how strong he is if he can't move a muscle! Get me within a few metres of him and I'll make him look like Grape Jelly!" the tiny pervert cheered.

"That leaves us. Bird boy gets weaker with light, right? I'll use some flash bang explosions and kick his ass. Rabbit, take down Half n Half." Katsuki ordered, cracking his knuckles.

Izuka smiled; "Okay, I know what to do. Here's the plan..."

Minutes later, the start siren went off and Team C entered the area and began to search. They entered the block through an alleyway closest to the Observation point, just as predicted, and walked unnoticed by a small speaker. The moment Kyoka was right beside it; Izuka, who was flying above with some binoculars, signalled Momo. Momo switched on the megaphone in her hand and held it between Katsuki and a microphone, just as Katsuki let loose the loudest explosion he could manage. The sound, amplified by the megaphone, travelled from the microphone to the speaker (set at max volume) and blasted out throughout the alleyway, stunning the whole team and making both Shoji and Kyoka scream from the pain. At that instant, with the whole team distracted, Izuka slammed down and knocked Kyoka out, wrapping her wrists in capture tape and flying away again before Dark Shadow could grab her.

"Target 1 is down! Enter Phase 2!" Izuka said.

Team C looked at their unconscious and captured teammate with shock, but after ensuring she was safe, they pressed on. With their main detector knocked out, the whole team was on high alert, with Sero watching the skies carefully in case Izuka made another surprise attack. Shoji decided it was safer to focus on fighting than detecting, so he switched all his extra limbs to hands and walked at the front of the group, using himself as a shield. Team C continued into the opening, and using the smoke from Katsuki's earlier explosion, headed towards the construction site. Izuka watched carefully from her hiding place on a nearby roof, Mineta beside her as they waited for their chance. Shoji walked at the front of the line, Tokoyami at the back and Todoroki and Sero side by side. Once Team C were in the construction site, Sero noticed the capture point in the control booth of the crane, and as it was easy for him to reach, he pulled himself up there with some tape, but just as he entered the booth, Toru tazed him, having been lying in wait for him.

"Target 2 is down!" Toru chirped.

Unfortunately, Todoroki was less than pleased and froze the entire crane, capturing both Toru and the control point in the process. Izuka watched with a frown; "Chameleon is down, but Todoroki is away from the group. Lion, prepare for the bombing run!"

Katsuki grinned and burst out from his hiding place in the on-site office, triggering a huge flash bang explosion right in the faces of both Tokoyami and Shoji. Dark Shadow shrieked and recoiled as both students were temporarily blinded. "Clear for the bombing run! I'm heading to the end point." Katsuki smirked.

Izuka grabbed Mineta and took flight, flying directly over the two blinded attackers. Mineta laughed maniacally as he threw dozens of his Pop-Off balls at the two, sticking them together and locking their movements completely. Izuka dropped Mineta on them, as he could bounce from his own balls, allowing him to easily put the capture tape on Shoji and Tokoyami, leaving only Todoroki free. The boy came charging in seconds later and captured Mineta in ice before he could escape, but Izuka was able to retreat to the End Point were Momo and Katsuki waited for her.

With an irritated sigh, Todoroki unleashed as much ice as he could, blanketing the area in ice and essentially capturing the whole place. He listened to his earpiece as the capture of the points by the office, portable bathrooms and roof of the building were announced, but not the final point or any of the defenders. Frowning, Todoroki carefully worked his way to the final control point in the middle of the concrete building, only to pause with widening eyes when he discovered it.

The point was guarded by Yaoyorozu, Bakugou and Midoriya, and a ring of fire was completely surrounding them, stopping his ice from getting within three feet of the fire. The ring of fire was so powerful, there was no way he could breach it, so Todoroki blasted as much ice as he could, as cold as he could, directly into the flames closest to Midoriya in hopes of trapping her. A burst of flames ended that idea and Midoriya flew at him, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with him.

Izuka and Todoroki fought with martial arts for a few moments, both surprised at the strength and skill of the other. For Izuka, Todoroki seemed so calm and cool, so it was amazing that he could fight so ferociously, and for Todoroki, Izuka looked way too small to be whipping out some of the powerful blows she was using. Just as Izuka went to throw a knockout punch, Todoroki felt a horrible spark going up his left side and he shot himself backward, his entire left side ablaze, destroying the ice covering of his costume.

The fire girl paused, momentarily surprised; "I thought so… you're Shoto Todoroki, son of Enji Todoroki, also known as Endeavor. I had a feeling you had fire as well."

"Don't bring that bastard into this!" Todoroki roared, forcefully dousing his own flames and countering with a wave of ice. Izuka ignited her body, making the ice melt before it even touched her.

"I apologise, I didn't mean to cause you trouble." she said, not leaving her combat stance, "I guess you don't like Endeavor? I won't ask why, that's not my business, but isn't it silly to only use half your quirk? With Fire AND Ice, you'd be nearly unstoppable."

"It's none of your business." Todoroki said, his voice going from raging to icy in an instant.

Izuka frowned; there was something else going on here. She didn't want to upset Todoroki, but it was a Hero's job to butt into others problems. Deciding to try and talk to him later, Izuka activated Phoenix Shroud and pounced on Todoroki, smashing apart his hasty ice shield and knocking him out with a punch to his left side, which he couldn't defend without using his fire. Izuka sighed; by not using his fire, Todoroki was not only limiting himself, he was also creating a potentially dangerous blind spot in his defence.

"All members of Team C have been captured or rendered unable to continue! Team D wins!" All-Might announced over the speakers. "Head on back! Young Midoriya, if you don't mind, please see to any injuries!"

Izuka nodded and as her team gathered the defeated attackers, she ran about healing them. Kyoka had just a bump on the head and some damage to her hearing, but that was easily fixed. Sero simply needed waking up, and the trapped duo of Shoji and Tokoyami were healthy, if disappointed. Todoroki refused treatment altogether, almost slapping Izuka when he regained consciousness to find her pressing pink flames to his face to heal the bruise from her punch. He apologised, but it took every other member of Team C and D to stop Katsuki from attacking the boy.

When they all got back to the Observation Room, Katsuki and Izuka smiled at All-Might desperately trying to restrain himself from hugging them. The pride in his eyes was unmistakeable. "So, who were the MVPs?" he asked.

"Well, for the Attackers it was Todoroki again. He was the only one who had a chance to do anything, kind of like Koda in our match." Ojiro answered, "Sero helped too, but he ended up rushing in and getting knocked out."

Sero shrugged, sighing with disappointment. He hadn't expected the Invisible Girl to be waiting for him.

"And what about the Defenders?" All-Might asked, but unlike in previous matches, the class looked a bit puzzled.

"It's really hard! Everyone on their team did something. Momo made the speaker and stuff to take out Kyoka, Toru took down Sero, Bakugou blinded Tokoyami and Shoji, Mineta tied 'em up and Izuka took out the trapped and distracted enemies, as well as defending against Todoroki." Ochako said, offering her own commentary.

"I think it was Izuka." Tsuyu said decisively. "She was instrumental to taking down four of the five attackers and without her, Todoroki would have captured them all."

Momo nodded in agreement while Izuka spluttered in surprise. "The whole thing was her plan too. She knew what the attackers would do and had us all in position."

Izuka looked desperately to the rest of her team but all of them, even Kacchan, was smirking at her, agreeing with Momo's assessment.

All-Might laughed at her reaction; "You shouldn't be so afraid of praise! It is a sign that you're earning the affection of your classmates, and in the future, the people too!"

"O-Okay… I'm just not used to it!" Izuka weakly replied, poking her fingers together. Todoroki watched her reactions closely, seeing how she acted around All-Might and how proud All-Might looked when he looked at Izuka. Her strength was also similar, and the way Izuka went from shy to fierce in combat… was the sweetness just an act, or was that the real Izuka? Todoroki gripped his left arm tightly; he would find out!

Team A left shortly afterwards to set up the defence for the final match, leaving Team D to plan their attack. As Team D walked to the battle area to await the start of the match, Mineta grinned up at Izuka.

"So, Midoriya! Got another amazing plan?" he asked. With heavy hitters like Bakugou and Midoriya on the team, as well as the beautiful Yaoyorozu and peppy Hagakure, Mineta hadn't expected to get any action or recognition, and having Midoriya actively involve him in a plan had boosted his confidence a fair bit. He also couldn't deny how great it felt to have the girl carrying him as they flew over the battlefield for the bombing run.

Izuka hummed, "Well Team C was definitely a Power Team, but Team A is more about fast, but devastating attacks. Plus, with Ochako and Tsuyu, we can't be sure where the enemy will pop up during our attack."

"Don't think about it." Katsuki grinned sadistically, "I'm taking the lead this time."

"Fair enough. I'll follow your orders." Izuka chirped, happy to not be the centre of attention again. This was part of the deal with Kacchan; when it came to attacking, it was all him, while she handled defending.

"Owl, whip up some caltrops. Shitty Spider, stick a ton of the caltrops to those balls of yours. You're damn useless in a fight, so use 'em to try and slow down Glasses and Froggy. I'll handle kicking the crap out of Glasses and Frenchy. Chameleon, scout and try and lead Glasses to Shitty Spider's traps. Rabbit, fly owl and yourself to the top of the building and attack from there, while I attack from the bottom. We'll crush them in a pincer attack!" Katsuki declared as they reached the battle area.

The defence zone was a simple apartment building, with capture points on the roof, in the land lord's office and in three different apartments. Every apartment had a balcony, so access from the sky was easy, but predictable. As ordered, Momo created a burlap sack and a huge amount of Caltrops, as well as two spools of metallic wire. Mineta took the wire and then began filling the sack with his Pop-Off balls, all of which were first covered in the caltrops. Once the bag was full, Izuka took Mineta and dropped him off on the third floor of the apartment building before grabbing Momo and heading for the roof. Once Mineta and the girls were in position, Toru began scouting the building while Katsuki waited impatiently in the shadows outside the building.

Toru carefully crept through the halls, noticing several areas were the floors were covered with acid. The floors weren't melting, so the acid wasn't potent, but it would still sting like crazy if she stepped in it, so she moved carefully. Turning a corner, she spotted Tsuyu clinging to a wall, hiding in the shadow of an open door that led to a stairwell.

"Lion, Tsuyu is on the first floor, guarding the stair well." Toru whispered.

Katsuki nodded, "Unless you can take her out in one blow, ignore her and move to the next level."

Toru quietly regretted that she couldn't bring a weapon; as it was, she had to run about naked just so she wouldn't be seen; a floating weapon was too obvious. Successfully sneaking past Tsuyu, Toru continued her scouting until she reached the roof and quietly acknowledged the hiding Izuka and Momo.

Speaking to the whole team via the Earpiece, Toru reported; "Iida is patrolling the third floor! The Apartment walls have been melted by Mina so he can freely run around and protect one of the control points. Spider has nowhere to hide if he enters the apartments. Also, Mina is protecting the second floor, while Aoyama and Ochako are protecting the fourth floor! Ochako was doing something with a bunch of mirrors from the apartments."

"Tch, probably going to use it to let Frenchy reflect his laser. Shitty Spider, trap the shit out of the area you're in. When you're done, let us know." Katsuki ordered.

Mineta muttered to himself but got to work. It probably hadn't been his best idea to point out to the really dangerous boy that his girlfriend had a great ass… By the time the bag of traps was empty, the hallway was riddled with spiky balls and tripwires. Mineta had been ingenious in how he laid them out; carefully hiding the tripwires so they were concealed against the lines where two floor tiles met. Some of the lines were connected on either end to spike balls, so when tripped, the balls would catch the person's legs. Mineta had even made several traps obvious, to purposely draw attention away from the really dangerous ones.

"It's done!" he whispered urgently.

"Good. Now everyone brace yourselves; I'm gonna have some fucking fun!" Katsuki roared and charged at the building. He blasted straight in and headed for the stairwell, not letting on that he knew Tsuyu was there. As he passed the door, he put a hand on it and blew the wood to pieces, sending a smoking Tsuyu clambering down the hall with a startled croak. In an attempt to counter attack, Tsuyu drew the capture tape and shot her tongue at Katsuki, but he easily sidestepped the appendage and grabbed it, releasing a very light explosion to stun the Frog Girl, before pulling her towards him and punching her hard in the gut. Tsuyu was winded long enough for Katsuki to grab her arm and slam her over his head and into the ground front first. Gripping her other arm, Katsuki bound Tsuyu with the same capture tape she had gotten out for him.

"Froggy's down! Moving up!" Katsuki grinned.

"Call me Tsuyu." the girl said, nonplussed. Katsuki just smirked at her and moved upward.

He found Mina quickly, or rather, she found him as she attempted to melt the stairs to stop him climbing up. She would have succeeded, but at the last moment, Katsuki used his explosions as a boost to launch himself upward, headbutting Mina in the process. The girl dropped, holding her forehead in pain, not even noticing as Katsuki slapped the capture tape around her wrists.

Above him, Momo and Izuka were making their way down to the fourth floor, when they were suddenly forced to dodge a laser shot that came from around the corner, deflected by a common bathroom mirror. The beam just barely caught Izuka's hand, making her cry out in pain and surprise. It actually burned her; Izuka had long forgotten what it felt like to be burned and was now remembering how much it sucked… still, at least now she knew that lasers could burn her!

"Are you alright?" Momo asked, creating a mirror to reflect any further shots.

"I'm good, just caught me a bit. Move forward, I'll heal as I go." Izuka said, her hand already covered in pink flame. Momo's shield blocked several more shots, until Izuka shoved her out of the way of a sofa that was launched with Ochako's quirk. Izuka blasted the flying furniture with several Phoenix Feathers, then ran forward, using her acrobatics to slide between Aoyama's legs, grab his cape then flip over him, covering his face and allowing her to easily knock him out. Momo took the opportunity to create a Bo-Staff and charge Ochako, lightly swatting her hands as the Gravity Girl tried to touch some more furniture, before sweeping her legs out from under her.

"Sorry Ochako!" Izuka yelled before using her strength to flip the sofa Ochako had landed on, pinning the girl beneath it and allowing Momo to capture her.

With Aoyama and all the girls on Team A caught, as well as four of the five capture points taken by Team D, only Tenya and the final point remained, but he was stubbornly staying beside it. Both Toru and Mineta tried to taunt him, but he refused to leave his post and would simply charge at whoever came close, until the capture point was nearly out of view, at which point he'd immediately return.

"We've got a damn problem! Glasses won't leave the fucking point!" Katsuki growled.

"Well it makes sense! Whether we beat him or make him leave the point, we win the match. He's improving his odds by staying in a battleground he's familiar with. We may need to resort to force." Izuka replied.

Toru suddenly giggled, "I have an idea! Momo, do you think you can make me a copy of Ochako's costume? And a brown wig?" she asked, putting her gloves on.

Momo smirked, "It won't be the right material or have the right features, but it should physically look like it." she replied, knowing were the invisible girl was going with this. She created the costume and wig and Toru promptly put it on, making her look like Ochako with an invisible face. With a dash of dust to colour the visor of the helmet to obscure her features and some powder from Momo to colour her hands, Toru added an earpiece she took from Ochako and moved out into the open, where Iida could see her.

"Iida!" she yelled, her voice croaky.

"Uraraka! What happened? Why does your voice sound like that?" Iida asked, on guard.

"That jerk Bakugou sent a bunch of explosions to the upper floors! I accidentally breathed in a ton of smoke. Izuka and Momo are raging around on the upper floor, trying to find the point through the smoke and I can't handle it alone! Agh, my voice hurts, hold on." Toru made a show of coughing horrendously, then talking into her earpiece. "Sorry, it's easier to whisper through the ear pieces."

Iida relaxed, "Darn it. I shall head up to the upper floor! Uraraka, please stay and defend this point."

Toru saluted and walked over to the point, but right before she could capture it, Katsuki whispered into the earpiece from her own team; "Don't you dare! I want to fight this Robo Bastard!"

Toru gulped and promptly stayed still as Tenya left the room. He immediately saw Mineta and charged him, causing the Grape Gremlin to run around the corner, leading Tenya successfully into the trapped hallway. As Mineta knew were all the traps were, he successfully avoided them as Tenya charged full speed into them. He tripped the first three trip wires without slowing, only to have their combined lengths tangling his legs and causing several spiky balls to stab into him. Thankfully, his armour was thick enough that he wasn't hurt, but unfortunately, a couple of the balls had gotten stuck on the exhausts on his armour, stopping him from freely using his quirk.

From there, it was a sure victory; Katsuki blasted through the wall and grabbed the immobilised Iida, exploding his helmet and then flinging the taller boy clear across the floor, making him slam into the flag pole. Toru took the opportunity to remove the fake Ochako Helmet and bonk Iida over the head with it, stunning him so Katsuki could capture him right as Mineta ran in and took the last capture point.

"Amazing! Team D successfully defeated all defenders AND captured all the capture points! A decisive victory for Team D!" All-Might announced; "Head back as soon as you can!" he said, not bothering to tell Izuka to heal them; he already knew she would.

After a round of healing, the group headed back and joined the others. The class assembled outside the Training Ground, as it was almost the end of the day. "Well done everyone! You all worked very hard today! Before we wrap up, who can give me the MVPs for the final match?"

"Iida was definitely it for Team A!" Kirishima said with a grin, slinging an arm around the taller boy's shoulders, "He kept to his post and only left when he thought he had back up! It was pretty manly!"

"Hagakure was it for Team D." Todoroki said, speaking for the first time without first being asked. "Her scouting enabled all of Team D's plans, and her quick thinking in impersonating Uraraka allowed her to easily resolve the issue with Iida not leaving his post."

"Correct, both of you! Though I do have to say, Young Hagakure, your tactic was a bit reckless. You covered yourself well, using the dust to cover your visor, the excuse of smoke to explain your different voice and the use of Team A's earpiece to legitimise yourself, but you also made a crucial mistake that thankfully, Young Iida didn't notice. Young Midoriya, can you explain?"

Izuka blushed at being called out, but answered regardless; "The Earpieces announce when a point is captured or when a defender or attacker is forced to retire. If Tenya had stopped to think first, he'd have noticed that Ochako had already been announced as caught, and the capture point on that floor was taken."

"Darn! My concern for Uraraka blinded me to the truth!" Tenya scolded himself.

All-Might nodded, but patted the boy's head; "Concern for a teammate is never a bad thing, but you should be careful not to let it cloud your judgement! In battle, even the smallest detail can be the difference between victory and defeat! Now, congratulations to everyone here who won, and good luck in the future to those that came up short; but to all of you, I say well done! Keep working hard; I can already see you'll be splendid heroes! Go change, then you can head home if you like!" he grinned.

The class cheered and made their way to the changing rooms. As she passed, All-Might took Izuka's hand and leaned down, "You did wonderfully today, my girl! I'm proud of you!" he said, ruffling Izuka's hair as she blushed.

Just a short ways away, Todoroki stood with his back to the wall, out of view of the two. He had confirmed the connection between Izuka and All-Might; now he just had to determine the nature of the connection…

[ELSEWHERE]

In a dingy bar, deep within the confines of Kamino Ward, two figures sat around a newspaper. The headline proclaimed All-Might's teaching position at U.A and in the article, several of the notable students were listed as attending, such as Endeavor's son, Ingenium's younger brother, the daughter of a High-ranking Government Official… and Izuka Midoriya.

The first man, made entirely of mist, passed the paper to the other. "Have you seen this? He's become a teacher, and our little rebel is attending."

The other man, a pale, disembodied hand covering his face, touched the paper, making it decay. "Say… what do you think would happen, if the Symbol of Peace was snuffed out by villains?"

The man smiled creepily behind the hand and held up a small Polaroid picture of a terrified little 9 year old girl with green hair and shining eyes. "You'll be back in your rightful home soon, little bird..."


	9. Dark Messenger

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 9: Dark Messenger**

The next day, Izuka arrived at U.A with Katsuki, finding it besieged by reporters. The entire main gate was blocked by the mass of news people, with everything from major TV crews to independent publications represented. Several students were struggling their way through the crowd, being badgered by questions as they went.

"Oh what the fuck?" Katsuki growled.

"What do they want? Did something happen?" Izuka asked worriedly.

As they approached, the reason for the Press Presence became clear; All-Might. They were all asking about All-Might. News of him being a teacher at U.A must have spread…

Several 1-A students were caught in the crowd, trying to deal with the sudden questioning they were enduring. One reporter was talking to a flustered Ochako; "What are your thoughts on having the Number One Hero as a teacher?"

"Uh, he's really muscly? I'm sorry, we've only had one class!" she said, running into the school.

Another was being talked to death by Iida, who was taking a rather simple question and using a whole speech to answer it. The reporter looked to regret asking the proper boy.

Izuka almost fainted when a reporter spotted her and Kacchan and ran over. "Hey, you! What do you think of All- Wait! Aren't you Izuka Midoriya from the Moncalama Incident!?"

The lady reporter was so loud that it alerted the whole mob, and Izuka was soon panicking as she was surrounded and hundreds of questions were screamed at her by the overeager news people. Katsuki saw her paling and her shoulders beginning to shake, making him growl angrily. Throwing a hand into the air, he released a massive explosion, causing the reporters to scurry backwards, shrieking and shouting at Katsuki.

"What the fuck are you shits doing!? Don't harass her, you shits!" Katsuki roared, gripping Izuka's hand and leading her into the school grounds. Once they were safely over the threshold, Kacchan released Izuka, and the girl turned and bowed to the assembled press.

"I'm sorry about that! Kacchan is very protective and I get nervous in crowds! Please forgive us!" she called, before running into the building with her boyfriend.

Aizawa chose that moment to appear and promptly told the Press to leave. "Get out of here. You're disturbing classes and harassing students." he said coldly. He was normally neutral to the press, since he was an unknown, but seeing how close Izuka came to a panic attack made him lose what patience for them he had. He didn't bother to wait for a response, instead opting to ferry the few student stragglers into the school before turning his back on the mob completely. Aizawa ignored their calls and even a few blatant insults, but it was all worth it to hear the loud clang of the U.A Barrier and the accompanying shrieks of a reporter that had thought to test the school's defences.

With the school secure, Aizawa slowly wandered to his class, thinking over the evaluations he'd received from the Combat Trial. If any student was asked about Aizawa's teaching methods, they'd be described as harsh and unforgiving, with an eagerness to expel students that fail to meet his expectations, but if one was to ask a teacher, they'd describe the man as flexible. Aizawa was a cool and relaxed individual that liked to take things easy, but he also had the attitude of someone who would rather do a thorough job than half-ass things. It was with this attitude that he mused over how to further advance his students.

Each one had both strengths and flaws; which would require unique handling. He had already decided how he'd handle a few individuals like Koda and Midoriya, the former of which was just too shy and the latter was too self-sacrificing, but at least they were both reasonable. The problems would be Bakugou and Todoroki. Aizawa had heard from both All-Might and Izuka just how stubborn Bakugou could be; it had taken his only real friend being kidnapped for him to get his act together as much as it was! He shuddered to think of what the boy would be like if Izuka wasn't around to ground him. But Todoroki…

That was a whole other can of worms.

Naturally, Aizawa knew about Todoroki's true quirk, namely Half Hot and Half Cold, and had a limited idea as to why Todoroki refused to use it, but it created an issue regardless. Whatever his reasons; Todoroki was going through class with only half of his power, determined to reach Number One with just ice. Aizawa, as both a teacher and a hero, could not allow that! He hated the thought of all his students trying their best and being so easily swept aside by a kid that was literally half-assing his way through the course! Not only that, but if Todoroki never accepted his fire side, then if a situation arises where he needs it and refuses to use it, it could kill him or someone else. Compounding this problem was the fact that the only person in class that could successfully counter his Ice, namely Midoriya, was also completely immune to fire, so it wouldn't even make sense for Todoroki to use it against her!

The Underground Hero needed to think on this more. If Todoroki hadn't turned around by the Summer Break, Aizawa would speak with Nezu about moving him to another course; the world didn't need an unstable Hero that rejected half of himself. It may seem cruel, but Aizawa didn't want anyone to be hurt by the boy's half-hearted efforts, least of all the boy himself.

Stepping into the classroom, he found the class sat waiting for him. Aizawa-Sensei sighed and put his papers down on the desk; "I hope you've rested from yesterday's combat trial. I looked through your scores..." he switched his gaze to Koda, "Koda, you did well. Work on your confidence a bit and you'll go far as a hero. Fighting isn't all there is to Heroism after all."

Koda smiled and made a sign with his hands that Aizawa recognised as thank you. The boy still wasn't willing to talk much… oh well, Aizawa would slowly encourage him. The teacher turned his attention to all of Koda's row; "Ojiro, Kaminari, Kirishima, Sato; the four of you along with Koda weren't able to win either match. Think over your mistakes; I'll expect some improvement from each of you."

"Yes Sensei!" the four boys shouted, pumped up for whatever the next trial would be. Aizawa then looked to Team D.

"Team D, you did very well, winning both matches. I can't do much to fault your performance, though I bet you've already figured out what mistakes you did make?" he said, looking between the five students with only a raised eyebrow. He noticed Midoriya flinch a bit as he focused on her and decided to say his next piece a bit more gently; "Midoriya; you're healing is a great help, but I want you to limit it to healing serious or long term injuries in future. Little bumps and bruises can be taken care of by Recovery Girl, or left alone. You aren't responsible for keeping your classmates in one piece." he said.

Aizawa had watched the tapes of the matches and had noticed Izuka was fairly pale at the very end, likely on the verge of weakening from using too much blood in healing. "That goes for the rest of you too." he said, looking across the classroom; "Midoriya isn't your personal medic or required to clean up after your mistakes; her healing quirk consumes her blood, and I know for a fact she's too soft to refuse if you ask her, so for the sake of her health and my sanity, don't ask her for healing unless it's necessary. And if your injury is self-inflicted, then you can deal with it yourself!" his eyes flicked towards Sato as he said that, and the sweet loving boy had the good sense to look ashamed of himself.

"Moving on..." Aizawa looked to Katsuki, "Bakugou, you need to calm down. You've got talent, certainly, but no civilian is going to trust in a Hero that terrifies them. You need more than power to reach the number one spot."

Katsuki frowned, averting his eyes for a moment. "I'll work on it." he said shortly. Katsuki knew he wasn't exactly Mr. Personality, but he still didn't like having his failures pointed out.

Aizawa looked around the class, choosing not to address Todoroki yet; that was best done in private. He was satisfied; everyone looked either enthusiastic or pensive regarding their previous performance, and that was enough for him; so long as his students were considering their actions, he would trust them to find their own way with just a little prodding.

"Now let's get on with Homeroom… I hate to spring this on you, but it's about that time..." Aizawa began, looking serious.

The class gulped; was this going to be another succeeded or expelled test!?

"We need to pick our Class Council."

The class exploded into uproar; both excited and angry over their teacher's cryptic way of speaking. Aizawa just blinked; "Whatever. We need a President, Vice President and Representative. The President will be in charge of the class, the Vice President will be second in command and double as a secretary. The Representative will be the go between for the rest of the class, as well as the other Class Councils across the campus. All three will be a part of the Student Government." he explained, reading from a crib sheet that Izuka recognised as being in Nezu's handwriting.

"Ohh! Ohh! I wanna be Class President! Pick me!" Kirishima yelled as he and most of the class raised a hand or outright leaped to their feet.

"The position exists for me." Aoyama said confidently.

"Like a Leader Position! I'll do it! Me, Me!" Mina added.

"I wanna do it too." Jiro said, more neutrally than the others.

"My manifesto as president; all girls must expose 30 centimetres of thigh!" Mineta shouted over the cacophony.

Izuka squeaked in embarrassment; she was so small that 30 centimetres of thigh was pretty much her entire thigh! She'd be wearing little more than a long belt! Izuka was actually one of the few not raising her hand; she had no desire to be a leader, especially since she had always been under the impression that she'd end up working with Katsuki, who would be in charge.

The noise was suddenly silenced by Iida's voice shouting "BE QUIET!" over the crowd. The class turned back to look at the boy, his gaze as serious as ever; "This is a task for only the most responsible where one must be able to carry everyone's weight, not just your own! Wanting to do it doesn't mean you can! It is a position of great esteem, broadcasting to others that you have the trust of your colleagues… the only true leader is one elected by the people! We must settle this with a vote!" Iida declared, his passionate words somewhat lessened by him straining to heave his hand up as high and as straight as possible.

"It's a good idea, but we've only known each other for three days. We haven't had a chance to get to know everyone or build that kind of trust." Tsuyu said.

"Yeah, and pretty much everyone will just vote for themselves!" Kirishima added.

"W-Well we could always make it so you can't vote for yourself." Izuka offered.

"We'll make it a public vote then. We put all our names on the board and one by one, we go up and put a tally beside the person we want to vote for! If you can't publicly stand beside your chosen candidate, then it shows you don't really trust them!" Iida said, turning to Aizawa; "Is that all right Sensei!?"

"As long as you're done by the end of Homeroom, then do whatever." the man replied, already tucking himself into his sleeping bag.

Iida nodded and stood up, grabbing a piece of chalk and writing everyone's names on the blackboard. Izuka wanted to protest when her name was written, but decided against it; after all, no one but Kacchan would even consider voting for her!

Oh how wrong she was…

Aoyama voted for Izuka, stating her pink flames were almost as sparkling as his laser. Mina voted for Momo as she was the most responsible girl in class. Tsuyu voted for Iida, having liked his earnestness despite wanting so badly to be President. Tenya and Ochako both voted for Izuka, citing her actions during the Entrance Exam as the reason why. Ojiro opted for Koda, as the quiet boy had helped a lot in the previous day's trial. Kaminari voted for Iida, saying he was the most "Class President" like. Kirishima voted for Momo because if you discount Izuka (who Kirishima noticed didn't look happy to get votes), then Momo had scored best in the Quirk Test. Koda and Sato both voted Izuka, the former because she was a bit like a rabbit and he loved rabbits, and the latter due to her healing his finger. The entire Team C group voted Momo; all of them believing she was the best suited for the job, though Tokoyami also voted for her as opposed to Izuka as he felt the smaller girl was too bright for him to look at all the time; it hurt his shadowy mind. Toru voted for Izuka because of her plan leading them to victory against Todoroki. Katsuki also voted for Izuka, because she was his girlfriend and the only one in class he was comfortable taking orders from. Izuka ummed and aahed over her choice before settling on voting for Katsuki, she believed Iida and Momo may be better suited, but by that point, Iida was out of the running and Momo looked like she'd win anyway. Mineta voted for Momo as the most attractive girl in class. Lastly, Momo voted for Izuka, since the smaller girl was her first friend and a keen mind,

The final results were 1 vote a piece for Koda and Katsuki, 2 votes for Iida, 7 votes for Momo and 9 votes for Izuka.

"How did I get 9 votes!?" Izuka exclaimed, paling at the results.

"It's not that surprising; between the Entrance Exam, Quirk Apprehension Test and Combat Trial, you've done a lot of amazing things." Momo pointed out.

"B-But I didn't even want to be a candidate!" Izuka whimpered as Aizawa emerged from his cocoon/sleeping bag.

"Well, it looks like it's Midoriya as President and Yaoyorozu as Vice-President." he said, uninterestedly.

"It was close, but I'm glad I lost to you at least." Momo said with a smile, only making Izuka more nervous.

"Yes yes, it's all very good and whatever. Homeroom is almost over, so we'll deal with choosing a representative in the afternoon Homeroom." Aizawa waved everyone back to their seats and wiped the board, ready for the day's lessons.

Izuka was noticeably quiet throughout the morning lessons and the teachers frequently looked at her with concern when her distressed thoughts came out in the form of quite mutterings as she desperately tried to work out how she'd managed as Class President. In a Hero Situation, she was as confident as can be; fully believing in her strength, skill and healing abilities, not to mention that without the threat of death looming over her, she could act recklessly so long as it didn't cause harm to others. But in a social situation, she had no idea how to act! She let Momo and Ochako, or one of the other girls take the lead whenever the girls hung out together, and if Katsuki was around, he'd naturally take charge and Izuka was able to act confidently by looking to him…

But now the whole class would be looking to her!

Lunch came all too quickly and Izuka settled down to eat with her now permanent group of friends; Katsuki, Ochako, Momo and Tenya. Momo looked around the cafeteria as they ate, "People from all years and courses are here… Heroics, Support, Management and Gen Ed, all assembled in one place."

Tenya nodded; "The elite of our generation are gathered here. Izuka, you're one of the Leaders of that generation! You should be proud." he said, picking up on the cause of Izuka's nerves.

"I know, but I don't think I'm up to the task..." Izuka muttered between bites of rice.

"Sure you are!" Ochako encouraged.

"Ochako's right; you proved your leadership abilities in the Trial yesterday." Momo said with a patient smile. Inwardly, she was sighing at the low confidence of the adorable girl she'd basically adopted as a little sister.

"But that was different! In the field, I can act fine, but in class, I just want to be another student." the green haired girl complained.

Katsuki snorted; "Don't be such a Deku! Everyone here voted for you, and you got five others to back you too. If you're only good at leading in a fight, then just imagine the class as your soldiers, and you need to whip into shape to go slaughter the enemy!"

Tenya looked a bit green at that image, "While I dislike his choice of wording, I agree with Bakugou's sentiments. You've got guts and good judgement, Izuka. Even if you lack confidence in a calm setting, you're the one I trust most to carry us through any danger."

"Didn't you want to president yourself, Iida?" Ochako asked innocently, "You've even got the look with those glasses!"

Katsuki choked on his rice, "Round Cheeks, you've got a hell of a weird view of things."

Iida seemed to take Ochako's comment in stride; "Like I said earlier, the desire to do something doesn't equal the ability to do it. I followed my own judgement on the matter."

"Ooh! You sound so sophisticated! Are you a Rich Kid like Momo?" Ochako chirped.

Both Momo and Tenya gave the girl a deadpan stare. With a sigh, Iida answered; "I don't like drawing attention to it… wealth and station shouldn't have any bearing on a Hero! However, I am proud of my family! The Iidas have been in the field of Heroics for generations; almost since the founding of the age of Heroes! I'm the second son. Have you heard of the Turbo Hero: Ingenium?"

Izuka's eyes sparkled with excitement; "Of course! He's the amazing Hero whose Tokyo office has hired 65 sidekicks! I have three pages devoted to him in my notebooks!"

Tenya looked proudly at the girl; "I'm glad to see you're a fan of his! He's my big brother! I aspire to be just like him. He is an upstanding Hero that prizes the rules and guides the people! When I think of a leader, that's the sort of person I imagine. Until I can match that image, I think it's fine that I don't take a leadership position." he said, smiling.

The three girls stared at him; "I think that's the first time I've seen you smile!" Ochako exclaimed happily.

"I as well. It suits you rather well." Momo smiled.

Izuka just beamed at the tall boy, "You should smile more; it's a good smile!"

Katsuki's eyes narrowed and he looked at Iida for his reaction; Izuka's happy smile was enough to make a badass like him fall for her, so he had to be careful none of the extras in his class fell for her too! Thankfully, Iida just smiled again and ruffled Izuka's hair, as if she was his little sister. The Explosive Boy sighed and internally declared Iida "safe".

Suddenly, a loud siren began blaring all across campus, startling the students. The siren quieted a bit as an automated message began to play **"Security Level 3 has been breached. All Students, please evacuate the premises."**

"What the fuck!? Izuka, what's Security Level 3!?" Katsuki demanded.

Izuka frowned worriedly; "Level 1 is the U.A Barrier, Level 2 is the outer grounds and Level 3 is the inner grounds and the buildings themselves. If an intruder has made it this far, it could be really dangerous!"

Katsuki growled, "Well we ain't getting out through the fucking door!" he yelled, pointing to where the crowd was jamming the doors. People were pushing so much that those by the door were squashed against it and couldn't open them, since they opened inwards, but they couldn't communicate that over the chaos. Iida immediately tried to calm the crowd, only to get swallowed by the mob and pressed up against the windows.

From his position against the glass, Iida was able to see the "Intruders"… it was just the Press! The group from this morning had managed to get in somehow, but they had already been met by Present Mic and Aizawa-Sensei, the pair of them looking like they were weighing the pros and cons of simply sending the reporters flying.

"Wait! It's nothing to worry about! It's just the press!" Iida tried to shout, but like everyone else, he was drowned out by the panic. In the crowd, he could see Kirishima and Kaminari trying to slow the students and calm them down, and things were started to get dangerous as a few students fell and were nearly trampled. The people against the walls and doors were slowly having the air crushed out of them; if this continued, then in a few minutes there would be serious injuries!

Suddenly, Iida felt the temperature of the room sky rocket and a loud explosion ripped through the air.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP AND CALM DOWN!" roared Bakugou, his hands smoking from the explosion. At his side was Izuka, pink flames wreathed around her as she healed Ochako, whom had been knocked down and stepped on in the chaos. The rage on Bakugou's face was expected, but the calmer anger of Izuka was somehow even more unsettling.

With the crowd silenced by Katsuki, Izuka stood up from healing Ochako and flared her fire shroud; "Everyone be quiet and do as I say! No one can leave if you're trapping the doors shut! Back away from the doors, open them and then evacuate calmly and if you please, try not to hurt any more of your classmates!" she snarled.

The students closest to her flinched at the anger of the small girl, looking less like the Adorable Cinnamon Bunny and more like an Angry Angel of Vengeance with her fire wings fully extended. Using the moment of calm, Iida revved himself up and charged to the front of the crowd, using Kirishima as a leg up to land against the wall above the exit, the impact leaving him in the pose of a figure on the Emergency Exit signs.

"Everyone, calm down and listen to Midoriya! Everything is fine; it's just the Press! There's nothing to panic about! You're all students of the best school in the country, and yet you are panicking and hurting each other! Act like you deserve to be here!" he scolded.

Between Katsuki's explosive rage, Tenya's scolding explanation and Izuka's justified anger, the students were cowed and began to calmly evacuate, lifting the injured students up as they went and either helping them shake off their minor injuries or taking them to Recovery Girl. Izuka watched each one carefully, restraining herself from helping heal any of them. None needed her and after Ochako was hurt, she was too angry to focus properly, plus Aizawa-Sensei had warned her not to use her Healing Fire so often, especially when the wounds were self-inflicted, which they sort of were in this case. Before long, only Izuka and her four friends remained in the cafeteria.

Tenya sighed; "That could have been a lot worse. Thank you for the assist, Bakugou, Izu- Izuka!?"

The girl had fallen to her knees and was struggling to breathe, her shoulders shaking like she was encased in ice and a cold sweat building on her face. Katsuki knelt down beside her and took her hands while the other three gathered around, concerned.

"Bakugou, what's happening? Did she get hurt? Did she overdo it with her quirk?" Tenya asked urgently.

"Nah, this is just what happens in situations like this." Katsuki said bitterly, drawing characters on the palms of Izuka's hands with his finger. "Ever since the kidnapping, if she ever got worked up without having a chance to mentally prepare herself, then when the situation was resolved, she'd go into a panic attack. It's sort of a side effect of her quirk; she generates a fuck ton of adrenaline and when she hasn't had a chance to mentally adjust herself, then this happens." he explained. He remembered the first time he'd seen this happen; he had been 10 and wanted to play a silly prank on Izuka and tried to scare her on Halloween, dressed as a shadow with a black sheet over his face and torches inside to act like eyes. Izuka had freaked out, thinking it was Kurogiri and it had triggered a panic attack. Katsuki still hadn't forgiven himself for that fuck up; he hadn't meant to look like the villain, he just thought a shadow was cooler than a ghost. He, in his childish mind, had thought Izuka would laugh at the prank.

"What do we do? Can we help?" Momo asked.

Katsuki gave a half-hearted smirk; "You three are no use in this situation. Tell our shitty sensei that I'm looking out for Izuka. She needs fresh air and time and she'll also need food; it sucks, but nine times out of ten, when she gets herself worked up like this, she tends to puke, so we'll need to replace whatever she spews. A full stomach helps, trust me."

"Are you sure we shouldn't take her to Recovery Girl?" Ochako asked.

"Nah, the Old Lady won't be any use here. Besides, she's going to be busy taking care of all the poor bastards that got trampled by the Retard Train." the boy retorted, his respect for the U.A Student Body having dropped to zero following the incident.

Tenya gave Katsuki a strange look; "You… you really do take good care of her, don't you?"

"Tch, Stupid Deku is the kind of person who'll heal your paper cut even if she was one heal away from dying from blood loss. I'm not a fucking idiot; I know I suck at taking care of people, so I let Izuka care for others while I care for her. Everyone gets what they need then. Get to class, four-eyes; or else that teacher of ours is going to be pissed at us." Katsuki said, easily lifting the still shaking Izuka into his arms. He carried her bridal style, her upper body pressed into his as he held her close.

Tenya nodded and handed Katsuki a small wallet; "If she needs more lunch, it's on me." he said simply, walking away before Katsuki could refuse it. Momo and Ochako both wished Izuka well and followed the boy, leaving just Katsuki and Izuka in the cafeteria. Katsuki eyed the wallet before sighing and shoving in his pocket.

Izuka mumbled into his shoulder; "'m sorry Kacchan."

"It's fine. You'd do the same for me, after all." he replied, heading for the gardens around the back of the school. _"And that's what bothers me..."_ he thought.

Elsewhere, as Tenya, Momo and Ochako were heading to class, they were suddenly stopped by another student, a girl from Class 1-B with long dark green hair. "Hey, you're classmates with Midoriya, right?"

"Yes we are. Can we help you?" Iida asked.

"Yeah, I've been looking for Midoriya since this morning, but the Press made me late for class, and then the alert happened at lunch. I was asked to pass along a letter for her from her older brother." the girl explained, handing a simple envelope to Iida, "Could you give it to her for me?"

Momo frowned; "Izuka told me she was an only child..."

Tenya regarded the letter suspiciously; "Excuse me, Miss…?"

"Oh, I'm Setsuna Tokage." the girl grinned.

"Tokage, can you describe the person who gave you this?"

Tokage shrugged; "Not really. He was wearing a hoodie, but he seemed angry and had a creepy grin. Plus, his hands kept twitching."

"That sounds kind of like Bakugou." Ochako whispered.

"But why would Bakugou call himself her brother? And why a letter? He doesn't seem the type to do love letters; if he wanted to say something to Izuka, he'd just say it." Momo countered.

"Well whatever, I just got asked to deliver the letter, but you guys are in her class so you can do it. See ya!" Tokage said, heading off to her own class.

The three Class 1-A students gathered around the letter; it was in a plain white envelope and the name "Little Bird" was scrawled across the front in messy handwriting. "What should we do?" Ochako asked. She didn't think it was safe to give the mystery letter to Izuka.

"Reading it ourselves would be a breach of privacy, if it really is a genuine letter to Izuka, but if it's something nefarious..." Momo replied.

Tenya nodded; "We cannot read it. Let's give it to Aizawa-Sensei." he decided.

Heading to class, they found everyone gathered, finishing their lunch. Aizawa was grumpily informing them that the police had escorted the Press out of the school and that Hero lessons for the day would be cancelled due to the need to repair the damage to the barrier that the intruders had caused. Tenya asked the man for a private word and explained what happened with Izuka, as well as the strange letter.

Aizawa took the letter and opened it without hesitation, reading it carefully. As his eyes darkened, the three teens were certain they'd made the right choice. "Good work, you three." he said simply, tucking the letter into his scarves. "Now I'm going to go check on Midoriya; please don't tell her or anyone else about that letter." he said, speaking kindly but with a hint of steel.

"Sir, what was in the letter?" Ochako asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

"An Ill-natured prank, not something she needed to deal with after a panic attack. Put it out of your minds." Aizawa ordered. Tenya, Ochako and Momo exchanged concerned looks but ultimately agreed not to mention it again and headed back into the classroom to await the end of the Lunch Period.

Instead of going to check on Izuka, Aizawa went immediately to the Principal's office, were Nezu was looking annoyed by the damage to the barrier. "Nezu, remember your theory that the destroyed barrier was a declaration of war?"

Nezu frowned, "I do."

"It looks like you were right." Aizawa said, slapping the letter onto the Principal's desk. Nezu leaned forward and read it, eyes narrowing as he did.

" _Dear Little Bird_

 _It has been so dull these past five years. I miss our little games. I saw you today, walking to school; you've gotten so big; you'd never fit in your old cage._

 _But that's alright, we've got a new one!_

 _Kurogiri and I forgive you for breaking out of the old one; we'll have to punish you, but then it'll all be over and we can be a little family again. We know those horrid heroes have been filling your little head with lies, but if you go to your old apartment tonight at midnight, we'll take you home and fix you!_

 _But if you tell the Heroes about this little letter or refuse to come, we'll need to kill those heroes to prove we're better._

 _Come home soon_

 _Love Big Brother Tomura._

 _P.S Kurogiri says hi. Also we heard how you beat up Muscular; we hated that idiot, so we'll definitely lessen your punishment!"_

"He's a psychopath." Nezu growled, "If Izuka had seen this…!"

"The self-sacrificing idiot might have obeyed." Aizawa finished the Principal's sentence.

Nezu sighed, rubbing his paws over his face; "This letter arriving today can't be a coincidence. Shigaraki must be behind the destroyed barrier; his quirk matches the damage… Shota, go see to your class; I'm going to inform All-Might, we can't allow Izuka out of our sight from now on. All trips outside of the main school building, regardless of class, will require a minimum of three heroes as guards."

Shota nodded and began to leave, stopping at the door as Nezu called to him; "Guard Izuka closely; if we lose her… the enemy will never let us get close again, and the next time we see her, she may have been broken and forced to submit to their will."

The Homeroom teacher shuddered at the very thought; not only would it be beyond horrible to lose a student in such a way, if Izuka really was broken by Shigaraki and Kurogiri… It would lead to an Immortal Villain with the combined abilities of All-Might, Endeavor and Recovery Girl! The Heroes wouldn't stand a chance. Aizawa privately swore to protect the girl with his life; after all, being captured would be a fate worse than death for her.

As the scruffy man returned to his class, he found Katsuki and Izuka walking back as well; the boy looked irritated and the girl looked nervous. "Are you alright?" Aizawa asked, looking at Izuka.

"Um, yes sir. I'm sorry if I worried you." she said quietly.

"Don't apologise; it's my job to be worried." the man said dismissively; "Hero classes are cancelled because of the Press. We'll just be having independent study instead, so you can go home if you aren't feeling up to it."

"Thank you, Aizawa-Sensei, but I'd like to stay. I have some things to say to everyone." Izuka smiled, putting on a brave face. Aizawa noticed Katsuki gently take her hand. At least the silly girl had someone who would always look out for her.

"That's fine, but tell me if you feel overwhelmed. I know how panic attacks feel and I know they suck; if you want to leave, then tell me." the man instructed her, before leading the two to the class. As soon as they entered, they were immediately surrounded by the rest of 1-A, all worriedly asking if Izuka was alright.

Izuka smiled at them and bowed; "Thank you for worrying about me! I'm sorry for the trouble."

"It's cool, Midoriya! You, Bakugou and Iida got us out of a pretty tight jam back in the cafeteria." Kirishima said, patting the girl's shoulder.

"Are you feeling better now? You were pretty shaken..." Ochako whispered, earning a friendly smile from the green haired girl.

"I'm fine. If it's okay, I had some stuff to say before we elect the class representative." she said. The Class nodded excitedly and returned to their seats while Izuka and Momo took their positions by Aizawa-Sensei's desk.

"All right President, start us off." Momo smiled.

"O-Okay! Before we finalise the President, Vice-President and Representative, I have a couple of important things to say. Firstly…" Izuka gulped, "I don't think I'm the right person to be president! I'm not confident enough, I panic when situations go out of control and in the cafeteria, I lost my temper badly; I don't think that's the sort of leader we need. But still, I want to try my best and prove I deserve your trust, so I wanted to ask everyone if it's okay for me to swap positions with Momo."

The Class looked shocked; "So you'd rather be Vice-President?" Kyoka asked with a raised eyebrow.

Izuka nodded; "I think it would be better for everyone. This way, I can learn how to be a good leader by watching Momo, who has the confidence and cool temperament. I'm sorry if I disappointed any of the people who voted for me, but I really feel this would be best!"

"Hey now, it was probably not fair of us to elect you when you didn't want it in the first place. I think we should go for it." Kaminari grinned.

"Yeah, we kind of dropped you in it." Sato rubbed his neck guiltily, "If you'd rather be Vice-President, then I'm cool with it."

The rest of the class nodded and shouted their agreements, so Izuka happily stepped down to the rank of Vice-President and Momo graciously stepped up. "Thank you for trusting me so much, Izuka." Momo smiled before turning to the class; "I know not everyone voted for me, but I'll do my best to meet all your expectations and of course..." Momo put her arm around Izuka's shoulders and squeezed her gently; "I'll be working closely with Izuka, so it'll be the best of both worlds. Leave it to us; we'll make sure the class succeeds!"

Momo's words were met with a round of cheers and when it died down, Izuka stepped forward again; "On the topic of the Student Government; I wanted to nominate Tenya Iida as our Representative."

"M-Me!?" Tenya spluttered, a mix of surprise and joy on his features.

"Yeah. Of the three people who reacted in the cafeteria earlier, Kacchan and I got angry and might have scared others, but Tenya stayed cool and collected, easing everyone's worries! He is the positive image that the other students will think of when they think of Class 1-A." Izuka explained.

"She's got a good point. Iida really helped out in the lunch room!" Kirishima grinned.

"Yeah, he was like one of those signs. Emergency Exit Iida for Class Representative!" Kaminari cheered.

Iida stood up, "If that is the wish of the Class and Vice-President then I cannot refuse! I graciously accept the position of Representative!" he said proudly.

The Class cheered again and the rest of the day passed into an easygoing study session with numerous students coming to the Class Council Trio to offer their suggestions or tell them about problems. The three were looking forward to the first full meeting of the Student Government!

But as the day ended and the students headed home, Izuka couldn't help but wonder how the Press had broken in in the first place. If she had known… she might have been prepared for the nightmare that followed.


	10. Darkness at USJ Part 1

**WARNING:**

 **This Chapter contains depictions of violence, blood and torture and may be disturbing to some readers.**

 **The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 10: Darkness at USJ Part 1**

Sometimes, Shota Aizawa REALLY hated his life. The Press invading the school yesterday had been a major annoyance, but still just an annoyance. The injuries caused by the panicking students, and the resultant panic attack from Izuka had sullied his mode further, but Aizawa had dealt with worse. Discovering the Press had gotten in through a hole in the barrier that was created by one of the people responsible for Izuka's captivity five years ago, as well as discovering a threatening letter from that person to Izuka had left Aizawa wanting to crawl into his sleeping bag, grab his cats and hide from the world. Then to put a cap on a truly god-awful day, he had to tell All-Might about Izuka's panic attack AND the letter… The Number One Hero had, quite reasonably, gone ballistic and had only barely been able to keep his rage from showing in front of Izuka and Katsuki.

All that was yesterday, and it seemed to Aizawa that today was just going to keep shovelling more shit onto him. It was nearly 1pm, the time for Hero Foundational Skills, which All-Might was supposed to be teaching alongside Aizawa and Thirteen at the USJ, but at 2am that morning, a massive fire had destroyed an apartment building in Tatooin Ward… specifically, the building that Izuka and her mother had lived in before moving in with All-Might…

And the place that Shigaraki had stated as the meeting place in his letter to Izuka.

The Police and a few heroes, including All-Might, had secretly staked the place out, but the Villains never appeared. Suddenly, at 2am, warp gates began opening throughout the building, dropping small explosives and Molotovs into every apartment and stairwell. All-Might had been able to save the civilians living in the building, with only a couple being injured, but the building had ultimately succumbed to the damage and collapsed; thankfully while it was empty. Even now, many hours later, All-Might was still going over the place with a fine-tooth comb for any leads, and so he wasn't coming to U.A for the day.

To compound the issue, almost no heroes were available to cover for All-Might; all the ones that were available had already been roped into the other classes. In the end, even Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye were unavailable, both of them currently being out of the city following leads on alleged sightings of Kurogiri. The only person that Aizawa was able to get to assist him was a sidekick of Sir Nighteye; Juso Moashi, AKA Centipeder.

With the afternoon Homeroom coming to an end, Aizawa-Sensei stepped up to address the class. "Today, your Foundation Skills Class was intended to be supervised by a three-man team of myself, All-Might and another Hero you'll meet shortly. Due to All-Might being called away to assist the Police, a Sidekick from the Sir Nighteye Agency; Centipeder will be joining us instead."

Izuka smiled at that; she'd only met Centipeder a couple of times, but she liked him a lot. He was very respectful of others and acted like a gentleman. Sero put his hand up to ask a question; "Sensei, what are we doing in class?"

"The second most common form of Hero Work, after Support, is Rescue! Whether it's a natural disaster like a flood or hurricane, or a man-made disaster like car accidents and forest fires, a Hero must always be ready to save others, so today is the Trial of Rescue!" Aizawa declared.

"Whoa, this sounds tougher than the battle trial." Kaminari said, smirking despite his nervousness.

"Yeah, but it should be interesting!" Mina said excitedly.

"Hell yeah! This is the whole point of Heroes! I'm raring to go!" Kirishima cheered.

Tsuyu added her own comment; "If it's a flood, then I'm in my environment."

Aizawa just sighed; his students were so loud… but he liked their enthusiasm. "Don't get ahead of yourselves." he said menacingly, shutting everyone up. "Anyway, unlike the Battle Trial, you've got a choice of whether or not to wear your Hero Gear. I recommend you do though; some of your gear won't be suited for Rescue Work, so it's better you discover how to improve them in training than in a real rescue situation. The Training Facility we're using is right on the edge of the school premises, so we'll be taking a short bus ride. Go get ready and meet out front."

Izuka excitedly ran and grabbed her costume. Rescue was what she wanted to excel at most! It was the very thing that inspired her to be a hero! Her favourite videos, right from her earliest memories hadn't been of All-Might's numerous epic fights, but of him rescuing people with a smile! Restoring hope to the hopeless and saving lives, making the world a better and happier place with his every action; that was the kind of Hero Izuka wanted to be. If today was the Trial of Rescue, then Izuka was determined to rise to the top, learning everything she could and proving she can be relied on.

The girl practically flew to the changing rooms to prepare and was among the first students dressed and waiting outside. Momo followed soon after and the two girls stood by the bus, waiting for the rest of the class to appear. Once everyone had arrived, Iida approached the two; "I recommend you have everyone line up into two lines, to most efficiently and smoothly board the bus!"

Momo smiled kindly, "Thank you for the recommendation, Iida, but I already checked out the bus. It's open seating. Everyone; please board the bus calmly and fill in seats at the back first! No fussing over seats or making swaps once you're seated, so stand by your friends if you want to be sat together!"

Izuka giggled; Momo reminded her of a mix between a mother and an Elementary School Teacher! The class obeyed, some smirking and some a bit annoyed by being ordered around (mostly just Katsuki). It wasn't long before everyone was boarded and they were on their way.

It was a couple of minutes into the ride that Tsuyu, who had sat opposite Izuka, looked to the girl. "Hey Izuka, you know I like to say what's on my mind..."

"Yeah, I remember. What's up?" Izuka asked.

"Your Quirk is strange. It reminds me of Endeavor in appearance, but it feels more like All-Might's." Tsuyu said casually.

Izuka squeaked in surprise and Katsuki raised an eyebrow at the Frog Girl. Tsuyu was more observant than he gave her credit for. "Um, I guess it's a bit like theirs, since I can control fire and enhance my strength, but to be honest, I think my healing and flying are the best parts of my quirk."

"She isn't much like Endeavor at all." Todoroki said, his cold voice floating in from the back of the bus, "Endeavor is immune to his own flames, but he can still be hurt by other flames. Midoriya's flames could burn him, but his couldn't burn her."

"That's so cool! I'm kind of jealous of flashy quirks like that; my Hardening Quirk is good for fighting, but not much else..." Kirishima said with a half-hearted smirk.

"I think it's a great quirk!" Izuka smiled; "A quirk like that is amazing for a Hero whose whole job is saving others. You'll be an amazing Hero, Kirishima!"

The Redhead grinned, showing off his shark-like teeth; "Thanks! Hey, call me Eijiro or just Eiji if you want! We're buds, right?"

Izuka beamed at him; "Sure! And you can call me Izuka!"

Katsuki growled; "Hands off my girl, Shitty Hair."

Izuka blushed, earning a few giggles from the other girls while Kirishima just laughed; "Nah Bro, we're cool! Flirting with another person's guy or girl is super unmanly! Izuka is just like a little Bro!"

"She's a girl." Kyoka deadpanned.

"A little sis then!" Kirishima shot back.

Katsuki just poked Izuka's cheek; "You need to stop collecting weird-ass Pseudo Siblings. Ponytail and Glasses are one thing, but Shitty Hair is going too far!" he joked.

"Didn't you hear, Bakugou? We're making a club; the Midoriya Protection Squad." Momo laughed.

Tsuyu giggled, sounding a bit like croaking, "An interesting idea. Hey Izuka, my quirk makes me useful in flooded, or watery areas and yours makes you immune to fire. Plus, I can swim very well while you can fly; we should make a Team together after we graduate."

Izuka smiled and was about to reply when Katsuki turned his fiery eyes on the two girls; "Hey Froggy, Izuka is forming an Agency with me! You want in, you've gotta prove you're a badass! Then I'll hire you as a sidekick."

Tsuyu fixed him with one of her blank, unreadable looks; "You'll need Izuka to get you business and sidekicks; your personality is too rough to be really popular."

"The fuck did you say!?" the boy growled.

"See?" Tsuyu said, poking her tongue out with a look of vindication.

Momo sweat-dropped; "I was joking about the club, but it looks like Bakugou has already founded it..."

Ochako laughed; "Maybe we should make it official after all?"

Aizawa just stared at the class with angry eyes; "Settle down, we're almost there..."

"YES SIR!"

It was another few minutes, but finally, the bus pulled up outside a massive dome complex. It was monstrously huge, resembling a closed roof Olympic Arena. When the class was led inside, they couldn't help but gape at the amazing scale of the building and what had been built inside. The inside actually sunk several feet below ground, with a long stairway acting as the only way from the entrance to the floor of the facility. A walkway went around the entire outer rim of the building, on the same level as the outside ground, acting as a way of observing the students in the areas beneath. In the centre of the facility was a fountain and seven paths led from it; one leading to the entrance stairway and the other six leading to the smaller facilities. A small ruined city, a massive mound of yellow dirt that had buried a settlement, a small mountain range, a dome with red flames on the roof, a massive pool and another dome, this one with blue clouds were the six facilities. Arranged around the central fountain like spokes on a wheel.

"Amazing!"

"This looks like Universal Studios or something!"

The class were looking around excitedly as two heroes approached; the first being a short person in a space suit and the other being a tall man in a black tuxedo with a Centipede for a head, part of which was wrapped around to look like a centipede themed scarf.

The Hero in the spacesuit began to speak; "I created this area as a Practical Training Area; Floods, Landslides, Fires, Tsunamis… this place was built to simulate them all and teach young heroes how to act. It's the Unforeseen Circumstances Joint; USJ!"

"Thirteen! It's Thirteen, the Space Hero!" Izuka cheered, "And that's Centipeder, a Sidekick of Sir Nighteye! Even though he's a sidekick, he's got the record for the most rescues of all sidekicks in the region, even more than some Independent Heroes and those with their own agencies! Of all the Sidekicks, he's the closest to going independent!"

"Ah! I love Thirteen!" Ochako squealed.

"Dude, Centipeder is freaking cool!" Kaminari grinned, looking almost excited as Ochako and Izuka.

Centipeder made a chittering sound that was reminiscent of laughter. "Thank you for your introduction, Izuka. Sir Nighteye asked me to pass along that he'd like you to come by the agency when he gets back. He supposedly found a rare piece of All-Might Merchandise." the Hero said, making the centipede equivalent of a smile.

Thirteen shuffled over to the stairs to begin the lesson; "Before we begin, I need to say a thing or two… or maybe three… perhaps four..."

"Uh, Thirteen?" Centipeder nudged the Space Hero.

"Oh right, sorry. I'm sure many of you know this already, but my quirk is called "Black Hole". It allows me to create a powerful vortex at the tips of my fingers. The vortex will suck in pretty much anything, but whatever does get sucked in is reduced to dust." Thirteen explained, lifting their hand to show the caps on their fingers.

"It's a great quirk for rescue! It can easily remove rubble and wreckage, as well as sucking trapped individuals towards you." Izuka said.

"Yes..." Thirteen began, their voice becoming pensive; "And yet it is also a quirk that can very easily kill people. That's not rare for a Hero's quirk and I'm sure many of you are the same."

Izuka felt a horrible shudder go up her spine at a distant memory. She still remembered what it was like to watch Tomura decay a person in front of her eyes, and she still remembered how it felt to have her flames roar forth and consume All for One. She looked at her hands forlornly, the feeling of those long extinguished flames ghosting across her fingertips. Aizawa-Sensei noticed with sad eyes, and Katsuki gently took her hand, earning a grateful smile from the girl.

Thirteen, having noticed the exchange but choosing not to comment, continued, "Quirks are an incredibly powerful, useful and dangerous factor of today's society. Among the people, they are carefully regulated to ensure they aren't used in a dangerous manner; as a society, we can't feel safe otherwise. After all, every day children are born that have powers that could kill easily; without control, our civilisation could easily fall apart."

Thirteen pointed towards Aizawa; "With Aizawa-Sensei, you learned the limits of your body's power when it comes to your quirks, and with All-Might, you learned what it was like to fight against, and more importantly, defend against others that used their power with the intent of defeating you. With me, you will be learning how to use your amazing powers for the sake of saving lives! I truly believe in my heart that our quirks do not exist to hurt one another, I hope that by the end of this lesson, you will all truly understand that Heroes and their powers exist solely to help others!"

Thirteen did a little bow; "That is all! Thank you for listening so patiently!"

"It was awesome!" Ochako cheered while Iida was repeatedly shouting "Bravo!" and clapping profusely.

Aizawa began to turn to the class when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. A strange swirl of black mist had formed in front of the fountain in the centre of the USJ and was slowly growing larger. Then a pale hand appeared from it.

The Underground Hero gasped and Izuka took notice, before turning as white as a sheet at the sight of the familiar face poking out of the equally familiar mist.

"N-No! No no no no no no! It can't be!" she shrieked, shaking like a leaf and almost hiding behind Katsuki and Kirishima, whom had stepped forward to see what was happening.

The familiar face, or rather, familiar hair and eye exposed by a severed hand mask, was now a full figure, pale skinned and dressed in black with severed hands absolutely covering his body. The form of Tomura Shigaraki stepped out of Kurogiri's warp gate, accompanied by a small army of villains.

"Huddle together and don't move!" Aizawa shouted, surprising the students whom were still trying to work out why Izuka was panicking. "Thirteen! Protect the students!"

Kirishima frowned; "What the hell!? Who is that guy!? Izuka, do you know them!?"

"Don't move!" Aizawa roared, putting his signature goggles over his eyes, "Those are Villains!"

The students paled and gathered close together behind Centipeder, whom had turned his arms into massive centipedes in preparation for defending the students. Down by the fountain, the black mist shrunk down to roughly human size, with only a metal neck brace showing where his body ended and his head began.

The villain; Kurogiri, spoke; "Eraserhead, Thirteen and… Centipeder? According to the Curriculum Sheet we obtained yesterday, the third teacher was supposed to be All-Might, and yet he isn't here."

Aizawa growled; "So yesterday really was you!" he snapped. Behind him, Izuka paled even further, her skin now almost grey from fear. She was barely breathing as her whole body rebelled, screaming at her to flee. She was no fool… they were here for her!

Shigaraki stepped forward, his voice as creepy and unhinged as ever; "Where is he? We went through all this trouble to pick a time when they were both here, we gathered up so many party members, and the damn boss doesn't even show up?"

He turned his eyes towards Izuka, just barely visible between her friends, "Still… we got the main prize." he leered up at her; "Nice to see you again… Little Bird."

Izuka shuddered violently and Katsuki shoved her behind him, ready to detonate the first idiot that came to try and take her.

"B-Bakugou, do these guys know Izuka!?" Ochako asked fearfully, trying to comfort the terrified girl.

"That misty fuck is the one who kidnapped her, and the Asshole covered in hands used to torture her while she was held captive!" Katsuki explained, growing angrier with every second. "The black mist can create Warp Gates between two locations, but I have no idea of the limits. Handy Fuck will start to decay anything that he touches with all five fingers on one hand. I think he can do it with his feet too now, 'cause of some fucked up experiment they did with Izuka."

"No way! These guys are some of All for One's villains!?" Kaminari exclaimed.

Momo turned to Thirteen; "Sensei, are there Intruder Alarms here!?" she asked urgently.

"Of course, but something is jamming them." Thirteen said, slowly grouping the students together behind them.

Todoroki frowned; "Is this the only place they're attacking, or are they all over the campus? Regardless, if they're jamming the sensors, we're not getting any help until the person responsible is taken out. They chose an isolated place away from the main building, at a time when a class was scheduled. They must have an objective."

"We need to protect Izuka." Kyoka said with a growl; "I heard every word that creepy guy said! They came to kill All-Might and recapture Izuka! Since All-Might isn't here, they'll take Izuka and run away."

Aizawa looked down at the villains coldly; "Thirteen, begin the Evacuation Procedure and try contacting the school! If they've gotten around our sensors, it means they either have an amazing hacker or someone with an electronic disruption quirk, so we need to move beyond that person's range. Kaminari; try using your own quirk to reactivate one of the sensors or call for help." he ordered, preparing to fight.

A loud slapping sound drew the attention of the whole class, with all of them turning to see Izuka standing, shakily, with a red handprint on her face. She'd slapped herself to shake some of the terror she felt and was now slowly getting control of herself. "I-I'm fine. Sensei, you can't fight them all alone, even if you suppress all their quirks, there's just too many of them. Your fighting style doesn't suit this kind of situation." she argued, her speech a bit shaky as she continued to battle with her panic. Before Katsuki or any of the others could stop her, Izuka ducked under Centipeder's arms and ran to Aizawa, removing one of her gloves before taking Aizawa's hand.

Aizawa felt the bizarre but comforting feeling of the Link forming, and the moment it was finished, he tried the mental communication; _"Izuka?"_

" _I'm here. I know you won't back down no matter how much I beg you, and you won't let me fight in case I expose my true quirk, so this is all I can do. I don't know how your quirk will be improved, or the limits of what I can do with your quirk, but with this, I can fly around and erase quirks while you fight."_ Izuka's voice sounded in her head.Aizawa-Sensei so wanted to scold the girl, but he couldn't bring himself too; she knew the horrors that these villains could unleash better than anyone.

Finally, Izuka conjured some pink flames and forced them against Shota's eyes, making him wince at the pain, but healing his dry eye. _"Thank you, Izuka. Now follow my orders to the letter; get out of the building and fly around outside the dome. The ceiling is glass, so you'll be able to erase quirks by looking through it and it will provide you a shield."_

" _Yes Sensei!"_ Izuka smiled and darted back to the class, whom had watched the apparently silent exchange with confusion.

"Thirteen, I'm counting on you!" Aizawa yelled, _"And you too, Izuka."_ he thought, before jumping down the stairs, goggles on and capture weapons at the ready.

A group of villains with ranged quirks assembled at the bottom to unleash a barrage, but Aizawa unleashed his quirk, opting to test the empowered version for just this one erasure. The drain on his stamina was noticeable, and to his shame, it caused Aizawa to blink, internally cursing as the enemy launched their quirks.

Nothing happened.

"What the fu-!" the villain's words were cut off as Aizawa wrapped them in his scarves and slammed them into each other and knocked them out.

" _Hmm, it seems the improved version of my quirk doesn't only last while I'm looking at them; it must shut off their quirks for a period of time… but how long?"_ Aizawa thought, taking down a Mutant-Type Villain that had thought he'd be able to work around Eraserhead's quirk.

A short distance away, Tomura watched the fight with both amusement and irritation. "Amazing Hand-to-Hand skills, plus his goggles make it impossible to see who he's looking at and thus whose quirk he's erasing… Pros really are a major pain. But it's the Little Bird that's really causing a problem; that horrid hero has trained her to link with him and support him… who knows what his improved powers are. If we were anyone else, we'd be fodder."

Meanwhile, Thirteen was beginning the evacuation and the whole class was heading to the entrance; Thirteen leading them and Centipeder holding up the rear. However, just as they were about to reach the gates leading out of the facility, Kurogiri suddenly appeared, covering the whole entrance in his shadowy mass.

Down in the battle, Aizawa cursed; _"Shit! I hit him with the improved version, but it looks like it only lasts 45 seconds!"_

Kurogiri loomed over the crowd, his yellow eyes narrowing on Izuka for a second. "Greetings. We are the League of Villains. I apologise for the presumption, but we have taken it upon ourselves to enter U.A, the Base of Heroes… in order to reclaim our stolen asset; Izuka Midoriya, and engage in battle with All-Might; the Symbol of Peace. It seems All-Might isn't in attendance? Is he perhaps needed elsewhere?" the mist villain turned his attention fully on Izuka; "Phoenix, you have caused a fair bit of trouble. You are lucky we already knew of your weakness for Heroes and their influence, or we would be much more angry. Why did you ignore our letter? Because of that; Tomura destroyed that whole apartment building."

Izuka froze; "L-Letter? What letter!? What did you destroy!?"

Kurogiri tilted his head; "Ah, so you didn't receive it. A pity; if you had, we wouldn't have destroyed your childhood home or even invaded here today. I told Tomura he shouldn't have passed it along through a random student."

Tenya, Ochako and Momo paled drastically; the letter they'd give to Aizawa had been from these guys!?

The Villain merely shook his head with a sigh; "Well, that was a waste then. But this can still end well; Phoenix. Surrender to me, take your deserved punishment for your rebellion and come home. If you do, the rest of these Heroes will be spared. If not… we will ensure they all die screaming."

Izuka's eyes widened; that wasn't an idle threat. Kurogiri wasn't a sadist like Tomura, but if he wanted to, he could kill just as painfully by closing his warp gates on a person's body, slicing them apart. She needed to think of a plan; under no circumstances was Izuka willing to just go back to that Hell, but she needed to be smart and figure out a way to fight back without risking the lives of her friends.

With a sigh, Izuka focused on the link she had once formed with Mandalay of the Pussycats, reopening it to allow the use of her Quirk.

" _Izuka? Kitten, this is a surprise! Why the sudden link?"_ Mandalay asked over the link.

" _Mandalay, this is important! I need to borrow your quirk. My class and I are currently besieged by Villains led by All for One's men. We're trapped in the USJ, please gather any Heroes you can and get to U.A! I'm gonna contact Recovery Girl too and get her help to get the closer Heroes to help!"_

" _Damn! I'll get there as soon as I can! Stay strong kiddo and keep the link open no matter what!"_ Mandalay ordered.

Izuka sent an affirmative and immediately opened the link with Recovery Girl, passing along the same message to her.

" _Izuka, I'll assemble the teachers and call All-Might, but all out electrical and communication systems have been malfunctioning, so it may take some time for me to run around and gather them manually! Hold out for as long as you can; help is coming!"_ Recovery girl said, already running to find Nezu.

The green haired girl gulped; this would be the tricky part. She was currently already linked with three people and from what she remembered from All for One's tests, five was the most she could link with safely… she was about to link with 21 more. Tapping into Mandalay's quirk through the link, Izuka activated Telepathy, speaking with Thirteen, Centipeder and every member of her class.

" _Everyone, this is Izuka! I know this is strange, but I'm talking to you telepathically. This is a feature of another quirk I have called Link Evolution. It allows me to form spiritual links with anyone I have skin contact with. While linked, I can use the quirks of those linked to me, and everyone linked has their own quirks permanently increased to be more powerful! You'll be able to use the normal versions separately, and the stronger versions will use up a lot of stamina. Plus, as long as we're linked, we can talk telepathically! The quirk I'm using now is borrowed, so it's only one way for me."_ Izuka explained, trying to explain as quickly as possible before Kurogiri got suspicious. _"I've already used this quirk to contact Recovery Girl, so reinforcements are on their way, but it'll take some time. Whatever the villains did to the sensors is also effecting communication across the school."_

Behind her, Izuka could feel the rest of her classmates relaxing a bit. _"Now please do as I say! Expose your right hand, I need bare skin for the link. Please do it subtly, or Kurogiri will know what we're up to!"_

There was some quiet shuffling behind her as each student removed a glove or pulled up a sleeve. Kurogiri, having grown impatient, stepped forward and began to expand again; "It seems you have no intention of surrendering… in that case, this is my role."

At that moment, Kirishima and Katsuki both ran past Izuka, holding their bare hands up. Izuka slapped her palms against theirs, forming the links as the two launched an attack at Kurogiri, momentarily dispersing his mist body. In the chaos that caused, Izuka was able to quickly run and link up with the rest of the students and Centipeder, but before she could link with Thirteen, Kurogiri reformed "So that was your plan… did you all know that if more than five people link with Phoenix, her body begins to suffer immense stress? You may all be the Hero World's Golden Eggs; but that girl is a Phoenix compared to you chickens."

Kurogiri's body expanded, surrounding them all; "You will be scattered… and tortured… and slain!" he declared as the class was absorbed into his warp gates. Shoji was able to grab Hagakure and Aoyama before leaping away from the gates, while Iida was able to stop Sato and Uraraka from being taken, leaving the six of them and the two Pros left at the Entrance while the others were all scattered.

With his warp gates closed, Kurogiri's eyes narrowed in displeasure; at the last moment, the gate he'd opened to their base had been avoided as Phoenix grabbed hold of the Pink haired girl with horns. Still, it had no bearing on the situation; for despite his words, Kurogiri knew that all the Villains had strict orders to capture, not kill any of the Heroes or Students. After all, without them, they'd have no way of forcing Phoenix's compliance.

Elsewhere, Izuka and Mina appeared from the warp gate they'd been sucked into and found themselves falling down to the yellow dirt and sand of the Landslide Zone. Thinking fast, Izuka summoned her wings and grabbed Mina, landing softly on the Landslide Zone.

"Whoa! That would have been a nasty fall. Thanks Izuka." Mina said gratefully, panting to catch her breath.

"It's fine. Catch your breath while I contact everyone!" Izuka said, focusing on the links she'd made. The girl was being careful not to show it in front of Mina, but her body felt like it was on the verge of falling apart. Everything hurt from the immense strain of what was essentially 23 links. Each link beyond the initial five would double the strain on her body, so it was only sheer willpower and the strength of One for All that was keeping Izuka standing and not screaming in pain.

Focusing on the links, she opened the mental communication with everyone; _"Everyone! This is Izuka! Please respond and tell me where you are!"_

" _This is Tsuyu. Mineta and I are in the Flood Zone. We're safe on the boat, but the water is full of villains. We should be safe until help arrives."_ Tsuyu responded.

" _Izuka! Damn it, don't do anything fighting! The links will tear you up!"_ Katsuki yelled, _"I'm here with Tail Dude and the Animal Whisperer. I think it's the Ruins Zone. Stay put! I'm coming to you!"_

" _We're wet in the Downpour Zone, but otherwise fine. Tokoyami and Sero are with me. There are villains, but we're holding our own; they don't seem that eager to kill us."_ Kyoka answered.

" _Izuka, this is Momo. I'm in the Conflagration Zone with Todoroki and Kirishima. We're doing fine, so please don't strain yourself."_ came Momo's answer.

" _Yo! Midoriya, this is Kaminari! I'm just down the hill from you! I'm coming up!"_ Izuka looked down the hill and spotted Kaminari working his way up, carefully climbing the shifting dirt and sand.

" _All the other students are here at the entrance with Thirteen and I."_ Centipeder replied.

Izuka sighed with relief. That meant everyone was still on site; there was still hope that this situation would end without casualties! _"Okay everyone! Help is coming so find a defensible position and hold up! If any of you end up in a situation where you have no choice but to fight, then use the empowered versions of your quirks sparingly! Report any Injuries to me as well! I'm linked with Recovery Girl right now, so I can use her quirk to assist my own in healing!"_

Kaminari finally reached the top of the hill and stood beside Mina and Izuka. "Midoriya, no offense, but why the hell are you still here!? Use some fire and those wings to blast your way out of here! They're here for you after all and if you stay, they might be able to capture you!"

Izuka shook her head; "If I leave, Tomura, the guy with the hands, will slaughter you all! His quirk would bust through any defence, and even if I flew away, Kurogiri would be able to catch me too fast. It's safer for everyone if I stay and help!" she argued. Secretly though, despite the fact she'd never run, Izuka doubted she even could now; her powers had been weakened so much by the number of links that she doubted she could fly more than a few feet or summon up any sort of flame that could bust through the reinforced glass that made up the USJ ceiling. For now, Izuka would have to hope the Heroes arrived in time.

For several minutes, Izuka listened with growing trepidation as she could do nothing but ignore her aching body and watch the battles happening around the USJ. Thirteen, the only person she hadn't been able to link too, had been seriously wounded by Kurogiri redirecting their own Black Hole Quirk back on them. Most of the other battles were going better; Todoroki, Tokoyami and Bakugou were easily blasting through the enemy with some support from their fellow classmates.

The entire Conflagration Zone had been frozen solid, leaving not a single flame throughout the place. Todoroki stood in the centre with a frown; "These flames aren't even close to the level of Midoriya or that bastard." he said simply as Yaoyorozu looked at him questioningly.

Even at the Landslide Zone, Kaminari and Ashido were doing well defending Izuka from the few villains around. They'd come across a villain whose body was made of sludge, but Kaminari had easily electrocuted him into unconsciousness. Izuka's Link Evolution had provided both Kaminari and Mina with permanent strength boosts; Kaminari's nervous system had become somewhat insulated from outside electricity, allowing him to use his quirk a lot more before becoming shorted out, tripling the amount of electricity he could safely use. Mina's skin had also gained a special membrane between the surface and the glands that secrete acid, making her fully immune to her own acid, so no matter how much she used, she wouldn't damage herself. Oddly, Mina was also able to temporarily harden her horns, turning them from rubbery to solid for a few seconds. Both marvelled at their new power and were eager to use it, even though they'd yet to actually try the empowered forms; instead only testing their own improved limits.

Everything seemed to be going fairly well… until Izuka received a panicked message from Mineta. _"Aah! Midoriya! The villains surrounding us are attacking the boat we're on! If they sink it, Asui and I are chummed!"_

" _Darn it! I'm on my way!"_ Izuka replied, summoning her wings. Just the effort of that caused her to stumble and fall to one knee. But she couldn't give up… Tsuyu and Mineta needed her! She had to go beyond her own limits!

"P-PLUS ULTRA!" she roared, blasting herself into the air and flying as fast as she could to the Flood Zone. Just as she arrived above the flood zone, one of the villains blasted the ship with a massive water attack, smashing it in half and causing it to sink.

"Tsuyu! Grab Mineta and jump as high as you can!" Izuka ordered, channelling Kaminari's quirk into her arms. Tsuyu wrapped the panicking Mineta in her tongue and leapt high, easily jumping a few dozen feet above the water. At the moment Tsuyu was off the ground, Izuka focused Kaminari's quirk into her fiery feathers, transforming her Phoenix Feather move into a whole new technique.

"Take this! Thunderbird Feathers!" she cried, shooting the lightning feathers into the water around the villains. The electricity exploded outward, arcing through the water and zapping every villain inside it, leaving them unconscious and lightly smoking. Tsuyu landed in the water just as the last of the electricity was gone, leaving her and Mineta safe. Unfortunately, the effort of the attack left Izuka even more drained and her mind felt foggy from all the electricity she used. With a faint crackle and pop, her wings fizzled out, leaving the girl to fall to the water below. Tsuyu shot her tongue out and caught the girl, helping reduce Izuka's impact with the water.

"T-Thanks." Izuka spluttered as she resurfaced.

"You're welcome. You saved Mineta and I after all." Tsuyu smiled, swimming to the edge of the flood zone, right next to wear Aizawa was still fighting the villains. To Izuka's horror, while Aizawa had cleared out most of the small fry villains, he was now locked in a fight with Tomura himself, whom was counting down the seconds until his quirk returned following Aizawa erasing it.

"Hehe, you're really amazing, Eraserhead, but I've worked it out. With the Little Bird having evolved your quirk, it takes 45 seconds before our quirks return if you use the powered up version of your Erasure. Not only that, but after every action you take, your hair falls back in front of your eyes… and the interval is getting shorter." Tomura cackled, blocking Aizawa's elbow strike with his palm. "You relied too much on the Little Bird's power boost, and now you're running on fumes."

Tomura's quirk activated, slowly decaying the clothes, then skin of Aizawa's elbow. With a hard punch to the villain's face, Eraserhead managed to dodge back, taking out a couple of lesser villains as he went.

Tomura got back to his feet with a creepy smirk; "No matter how you slice it; you aren't suited for long fights. Your style is taking out a group with sneak attacks, and because you abused your evolved quirk too much, you're even more exhausted than normal. So why'd you jump in like that? To give your students some peace of mind… to make them believe in you? To show the Little Bird that you Heroes are the ones in the right?"

A shadow loomed over Aizawa and he turned to see a massive creature with rippling muscles, pitch black skin, a bird-like beak and an exposed brain; one of the Noumus! "You're pretty cool, Eraserhead… but when we kill you and All-Might, the Little Bird will see that WE are the right ones. But you wasted time fighting me… I'm not the trump card." Tomura grinned, as Noumu attacked the Pro.

Izuka watched in horror as Aizawa was left broken and bleeding on the ground; his injured arm even further mangled. It had all happened so fast… one second, the Noumu was beside Tomura and the next, Aizawa was beaten beneath the beast's fists.

Tomura regarded the fallen Pro like a child staring at an insect with a broken wing. "You can erase quirks, a great ability, but in the end you can't do anything against overwhelming strength. This Noumu was created to be able to stand toe to toe with All-Might; from the very beginning, none of you had a chance."

Noumu raised it's fist again and this time, he slammed it down on Aizawa's other arm, crushing it and causing Aizawa to scream out in pain. Aizawa panted and wheezed through broken ribs; _"Damn it, he snapped me like a twig! My quirk isn't effecting him at all… is this strength not from a quirk!?"_

Over at the water's edge, Izuka, Tsuyu and Mineta were covering their mouths in a desperate attempt not to scream or cry out to their battered sensei. "M-Midoriya, can you do anything against that guy!?" Mineta asked fearfully. He was shaking and crying, and Tsuyu was only a step behind.

Izuka grimaced, tears pouring down her face from both the pain of the links and the misery she felt at being helpless. She couldn't muster any power and she was too scared to break the Links, in case one of the others needed help, but even at full power, would she even be able to match a Noumu designed to fight evenly with All-Might?

Kurogiri suddenly appeared beside Tomura. "Tomura, things are going as planned."

Tomura looked towards him; "Kurogiri, are Thirteen and Centipeder dead?"

"Thirteen is crippled. I left Centipeder and the remaining students at the gate. One of them had a laser quirk that was powered up by Phoenix. In his panic, he shot the powerful version and blasted the door, melting it into slag. It won't open now without great force and none of the students there can get through. As a bonus, the boy drained himself too much and passed out from fatigue. It will only take a few more minutes and we can finish our operation." the Mist Villain reported.

Tomura chuckled, "Excellent… now let's get started with the final phase..."

"O-Oh no!? They're nearly done? Does that mean the others…!?" Mineta squealed, his voice only barely muffled by Tsuyu quickly dunking his head underwater.

"This is unnerving… Izuka, can you contact the others?" Tsuyu asked.

Izuka nodded and began checking each of her links. Aizawa's was fluttering in and out as he struggled to maintain consciousness. Mandalay and Recovery Girl were both working quickly to get back up, both assuring Izuka that it would only be another ten or fifteen minutes and that they needed to hold out a little longer. More worryingly, several of her classmates had fuzzy signals, like they'd be knocked unconscious and the few that she could speak to were panicked and running low on energy. "D-Damn it! Help is still 15 minutes away and everyone is on their last legs. Everyone, please hold out a little longer!"

Another villain, a strange skeletal man with what looked like radio parts stuck into him, came running over to Tomura. "Boss, I've gotten into the PA System. Just talk into this and the whole USJ will hear you." the villain said, handing Tomura a small receiver from a ham radio.

"Good work. Now the stage is set, we just need out audience… and what better way of calling them, than with a scream from our leading lady!" Tomura suddenly turned towards Izuka, his eyes locking on hers.

Before Izuka could even react, Noumu moved and suddenly, Izuka was left standing on the shore of the Flood Zone, facing Tomura, Kurogiri and Noumu. The brain dead beast had one foot pinning Aizawa-Sensei to the ground and he was holding his hands out in front of them. In his left was Tsuyu and in his right was Mineta; both were held by their heads and struggling to get free but it was clear Noumu had no intention of releasing them. One squeeze from Noumu, and their heads would pop like balloons.

Tomura smiled at Izuka; it was the closest to a normal, genuinely friendly smile that he had and yet it still sent shivers up her spine. "Little Bird… there you are. I told you, didn't I? Heroes like this aren't worth supporting; they all follow scum like All-Might and preach about saving others when they can't even save themselves. But forget all that for now! It's been five years and I've so longed to play one of our old games with you! And would you look at that; we have two players right here!" he grinned, pointing to Tsuyu and Mineta.

"Here's the game; I'll name a body part and then you choose one of these two wannabe heroes, then I'll decay that person's body part!" Tomura grinned.

Izuka paled drastically; there was no way she could allow this to happen, but she didn't have the power to fight back against the enemy! She was left with only one option; Izuka prayed Aizawa-Sensei would forgive her for this…

"T-Tomura, this is our game, not theirs. I should be a player, not them." Izuka said shakily, "Let them go and I'll take their place. I'll go back with you… just… just please don't hurt them."

The pale haired villain watched her for a moment before nodding. Noumu tossed Mineta aside and Izuka walked into his grip, though unlike with Mineta, the creature gripped her wrists, leaving her hanging by her arms a good few feet off the ground. With Izuka in Noumu's grip, Tomura turned to Mineta.

"Alright, little Hero. The Little Bird took your place, so you take hers. I name the part, you name the person who gets to lose that part. Am I clear?" he said threateningly.

Mineta gulped, tears streaming down his face as he shook like a leaf. He barely worked up the courage to nod. Tomura sneered; "Let's start with an easy one… right toes."

"Mineta! Please, you need to pick me!" Izuka yelled, "No matter what part he names, you have to pick me!"

"Izuka!?" Tsuyu yelled, disbelieving.

"N-No way! Midoriya, I can't!" Mineta yelled.

"You have too! Please, I can take it! I survived a year with these guys, I can survive a lot more! Please Mineta...no, Please Minoru! You need to choose me!" Izuka screamed, desperately.

Mineta's eyes widened. He had no choice… Izuka was being brave and sacrificing herself for their sake; he had to do what she said! "I-I choose Izuka."

Tomura grinned and moved over to Izuka, holding the radio receiver to her face, "Nice and loudly now; your audience is listening!" he hooked the receiver to her shawl and knelt down, carefully removing her right boot before putting his fingers against her toes.

"And now the game begins."

Shigaraki activated his quirk and in an instant, the toes of Izuka's right foot began to decay, turning into nothing but dust and bloody stumps. Izuka tried, she really did, but after only a few seconds, that horrendous, awful, familiar pain overtook her senses and she screamed. Her haunting screams echoed across the USJ, blasting out of the PA System of the facility and soon gave way to pained sobs as the poor girl tried to regain control of herself.

Tomura smiled, a look of nostalgia in his eyes. Aizawa-Sensei was struggling valiantly, as was Tsuyu, while Mineta had fallen to his knees, crying quiet apologies over and over. The villain stepped closer to Izuka to talk into the receiver. "That, boys and girls, was little Izuka Midoriya having all the toes on her right foot decayed. If you don't want to hear me do the same to her little frog friend, then all of you better get over to the fountain. You have five minutes." he instructed.

They didn't need five minutes.

Before the third minute ended, the entirety of Class 1-A was in the plaza, their hands either in the air to signal surrender or bound by one of the villains. Each looked exhausted, wounded and furious, but that was all replaced by horror as they saw Izuka, who really was missing the toes that Tomura had said he decayed.

"You monster!" Centipeder shouted, running forward only to be stopped by Tomura putting his hands against both captive girls' throats.

"Tut tut… any interference and I kill them both. Now, I made a little deal with my Little Bird to save that boy's life..." Tomura pointed at Mineta. "She needs to finish the game before we continue. I think three rounds are enough and we've done one. So, Grape Boy, it's round two. I say… Right leg."

Mineta sobbed, but choked out "I-Izuka."

"Ah, so obedient. I love it." Tomura sneered, placing his hand at Izuka's right thigh, just below were her skirt fell. With another heart-rending scream, Izuka's right leg was destroyed, the remains of it collapsing to the ground, splattering Aizawa's face with the blood and dust of his crying student. Many of the rest of Class 1-A was screaming and crying as well, and Katsuki was outright bleeding from the mouth, he had bitten his tongue to stop himself from screaming or attacking, which would just get Asui killed. He knew Izuka would be alright… no matter what, she'd live, but Asui wouldn't if he rushed in. He had to wait for his moment, no matter how much he hated himself for not being able to take away Izuka's pain.

"Wow, that got a reaction! Our Audience is really getting into your performance, my Little Bird! Let's finish Round 3 and then we can end this show! Grape Boy; Left Eye." the Villain declared.

Izuka choked out a sob; Tomura always ended this game with one of the more painful parts. This was going to be hell, but she had to endure! Only seven more minutes and help would be there! She just needed to get Tsuyu free from Noumu.

Mineta cried his heart out, not even able to look up as he cried Izuka's name for the final round. Tomura almost looked sorry for him… almost. To really show off his sadism and prove how weak the Heroes were, he didn't simply decay Izuka's left eye… no, he decided to take it a step further.

He reached up and tore it from her head.

Izuka screamed again, her throat practically bleeding from the abuse as a mix of tears and blood poured down her face. Several students vomited at the sight, especially as Tomura crushed and then decayed the eye. Even some of the villains were horrified of their boss's actions, including Kurogiri, who simply looked away. Tomura lazily flicked the blood from his hands and patted Mineta on the head.

"Attaboy! The game is over. Noumu, release the frog girl." Tomura ordered. Noumu obediently tossed Tsuyu away, where she was caught by Tokoyami's Dark Shadow. Noumu moved over to stand behind Tomura, allowing Yaoyorozu and Iida to run forward and rescue Aizawa, though he was in no condition to help at the moment.

"Now, we're just about ready to go home, but we've got 22 Heroes and Hero Wannabes all tuckered out and at our mercy. I should really kill you all for leading our Little Bird astray… What do you think, Little Bird?" Tomura asked, leaning towards the barely conscious Izuka.

"Please….leave….them….alone." she gasped out, nearly incoherent from pain and stress.

"Really? But they need to be punished for leading you astray! Well if I don't punish them, who will we punish?" Tomura asked, as if he was a host of a children's show talking to his young audience.

"M-Me…. Punish me..."

Tomura straightened up. "Twenty two lives… can you take the punishment for twenty two people? That's a lot of pain and a lot, I mean a LOT of deaths."

"I… am a Hero! I… I'll take it all… a thousand times!" Izuka spat. Despite the pain and hopelessness, the spark hadn't left her remaining eye and the fire in her belly hadn't been extinguished. She just needed to hold out for three more minutes and help would be there! If she could keep Tomura talking, taunting and torturing her for just three more minutes, then everyone would be saved.

Izuka was a Hero! She would endure!

Tomura growled; "A hero… is that what you are? Well congratulations Little Bird, you're the only damn one here!" he roared, slamming his hand into her remaining leg and decaying it. Izuka screamed again, more of her life's blood spilling to the ground.

"Fucking-!? Half n Half, blast the villains with your quirk!" Katsuki roared, knowing full well that only Todoroki's quirk could defeat the villains without harming Izuka.

"I can't! If I use my Ice, then Midoriya will be caught in it!" Todoroki shot back. "In her current state, the shock could kill her!"

"Then don't use your ice!" Katsuki snarled back.

"But I-"

"YOU KNOW FULL FUCKING WELL WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! USE YOUR FUCKING FI-!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Katsuki's shout was interrupted by a portion of Izuka's side being decayed. The skin on the left side of her abdomen had been destroyed, exposing the muscle underneath. Tomura waggled his fingers at the arguing boys. "Now now, no cursing in front of the lady. Now how about I show you all something really interesting..." Tomura put his hand on the back of Izuka's head, pulling it back so she was forced to face the horrified faces of her classmates and teachers.

Despite the imminence of her death, Izuka smiled widely. "Time up." she muttered. A huge explosion echoed across the USJ as the front doors were blasted open and a tall, muscular, blond and EXTREMELY pissed man walked in, a terrible snarl on his face.

"Everyone!" Izuka called, causing everyone to look back at her, "It's okay now! Have no fear, why?"

Despite the pain, her missing eye, the stress of the links and the blood cascading from her numerous wounds, Izuka smiled as brightly as she could, "'Cause All-Might is here!"

And with that, Tomura activated his quirk and Izuka Midoriya was reduced to nothing but dust.


	11. Darkness at USJ Part 2

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 11: Darkness at USJ Part 2**

A haunting silence filled the USJ. The students of Class 1-A, their three teachers and All-Might all stood frozen, their eyes fixed on the small pile of dust that had once been their friend and student; Izuka Midoriya. Tomura Shigaraki, the villain that had invaded the USJ had tortured her, destroying her legs, her eye and a part of her side and yet after all that, Izuka had smiled at them… even as she died, she smiled with pure joy and why? Because All-Might had arrived and that meant they were all safe.

But All-Might wasn't smiling… his body was vibrating with pure rage, his fists clenched so tightly that blood was beginning to seep from between his fingers. Everyone was frozen for only a second, but their grief-stricken minds made it feel like years, each lost in the thoughts of the friend they had just lost.

Aoyama always loved himself and his quirk, believing he was the pinnacle of sparkle. The only draw back had been the pain his laser caused his stomach, and Izuka had taken that away. The Evolution caused by the link had caused the beam that always leaked from his navel to crystallise into what resembled a finely cut jewel over his belly button and now he was able to shoot his beam without pain and could even fire more powerful lasers! And what had he done with it? He'd tried to show off; attacking Kurogiri only to end up sealing the door with the power of his new laser and to top it off, Aoyama had forgotten Izuka's warning about the stamina drain of the higher level powers they'd gained, so he had promptly passed out. He couldn't stop thinking that if he hadn't, maybe he could have gotten the doors open and allowed some people to escape! Then the villains would have had no hostages and perhaps Izuka wouldn't have had to sacrifice herself. But now, the girl whose eyes sparkled almost as much as Aoyama was gone. Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Aoyama could do.

Mina could only think of what had happened while Kurogiri was warping them. Even as terrified as Izuka was, she had rushed to try and push Mina out of the way of the gates and when that had failed, the smaller girl had cradled her and ensured they landed safely in the Landslide Zone. Despite being weakened by the links, Izuka had ignored her pain and pushed herself to ensure Mina and the others were safe and the moment that she learnt something was wrong with one of them, she had flown off without hesitation, a shout of Plus Ultra pushing her forward. Mina respected that, she loved that the smallest and frailest girl in class was the biggest hero, and yet she still looked up to the other girls with something like awe, as if Izuka felt she was unworthy of their attention. Mina had wanted to be her friend and big sister figure just like Momo! But now Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Mina could do.

Ojiro had had next to no real contact with Izuka, but he had respected her and her ability. The girl was skilled in martial arts, having created her own hybrid style based around kicks and acrobatics, proving how devoted she was. The Tailed Boy had been further impressed by how quick Izuka was to help others, as she'd fussed over him and the rest of Team B when they were injured after their fights in the Combat Trial. Ojiro had thought to ask her about her fighting style, wanting to give her some pointers on her form, but he wouldn't get the chance now. Because Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Ojiro could do.

Kaminari prided himself on being a pretty cool guy with a pretty cool quirk, but at that moment, he felt like the biggest loser on the face of the Earth. For the third time in just two days, Izuka had saved his ass and this time, it had cost her everything. The Lightning Boy had been grateful when she helped end the chaos that had nearly trampled him and Kirishima during the Security Alert, and he had been amazed when Izuka's Link Evolution was revealed and it had allowed him to fight for so much longer! He no longer got his brain fried after just a couple of attacks! Kaminari was certain that with that new power, he would finally be able to return the favour and protect Izuka! But in the end, she had surrendered herself and allowed herself to be tortured to stop the Villains from killing him and the others. Kaminari swore to himself that he'd be better, but it was too late for her… Because Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Kaminari could do.

Kirishima felt like a failure as a Hero. He spoke highly of manliness, but how manly could he be if he allowed a classmate to die!? Kirishima knew he could have done something; his quirk was made to be a shield for others, Izuka had said so herself! But that's what hurt even more… Izuka had been so impressed by his quirk, earnestly complimenting it, smiling that big shiny smile of hers. And she'd made it better! Thanks to the Evolution, he had been able to push his hardness to a whole new level, moving beyond the usual rocky appearance and strength level to shining diamond. His limbs would retain their sharp appearance, but turn into a diamond-like substance that was able to swat away bullets and even cannon balls from one of the villains. Plus, because the material was transparent, it exposed the blood beneath the skin, making his hardened form look pure red, which suited Kirishima just fine! The boy had promised to thank Izuka for that after the incident resolved… But Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Kirishima could do.

Koda was quiet. He was shy and didn't like speaking and in the past, this combined with his unusual appearance had made life hard for him. Kids are quick to pick on those who are different, especially if they are soft-hearted. Class 1-A was different though; they all seemed to just take his appearance and silence as part of his character and leave him to his own devices, occasionally offering quiet companionship. Izuka had been like that; always smiling kindly at him and amazed whenever he used his quirk. After she had seen him briefly use sign language on their first day, she had arrived at school the next day and signed a hello to him. It was a bit sloppy, but Koda was touched someone had gone through the effort of learning just to say hello. Plus, the boy couldn't help but adore Izuka's occasional rabbit like mannerisms; the way she was quick to startle, highly affectionate and even had an adorable habit of wiggling her nose occasionally when concentrating. If Koda had been a braver man, he might have tried to pet her hair and see if it was soft like a rabbit. But Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Koda could do.

Sato could do nothing but stare down at his own hand, a finger tracing the line of skin that had once been a scar. Sato had that scar for years and it had bothered him a bit; a pale line on his otherwise olive skin, a reminder of when he wasn't as skilled with his cooking. When Izuka had said she could only heal scars if they were re-damaged, Sato had jumped at the chance; he'd get to see her quirk AND would finally lose that damn scar. He was a strong guy and not afraid of pain, so he'd cut himself without flinching and then Izuka had promptly scolded him with more fire than he thought she possesses. She still healed him, but looked so upset that he hurt himself that Sato genuinely felt guilty, especially after learning that using her healing could cause Izuka to suffer blood loss. He had made the sweets he promised and given them to Izuka, whom had loved them and eagerly devoured them, but not before offering to share them. Because that, Sato realised, was what Izuka was; the kind of person to put everyone before herself. Sato had been eager for a break when he could take Izuka up on her offer of baking together… But Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Sato could do.

Shoji honestly knew next to nothing about Izuka, with the exception of what he had observed. He was a man with few worldly desires and little interest in squabbles, gossip and frivolity, so combined with his appearance, he had been avoided a lot. It wasn't like he was bullied, like Koda was, but then again, who would bully the massive guy with six arms and the strength of a Gorilla? Even the others of Class 1-A had been a bit intimidated of him, though they accepted him as one of their own, Izuka included. He had only spoken to her once, asking if she was alright as they left school the previous day, following what happened with the Press. She had smiled, touched by his concern and assured him she was fine, thanking him for asking. He respected the girl and her ability to move between quiet and kind in social situations to fierce and powerful in combat. He had quietly applauded as she had stepped down to Vice-President, not believing she was ready but unwilling to give up for the sake of the people who voted for her. Shoji had wanted to keep an eye on her. But Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Shoji could do.

Kyoka was a girl who prided herself on her ears. Her quirk and her musical ability were all reliant on her hearing, so when she'd lost some hearing following the Combat Trial between her team and Izuka's, she'd momentarily been heartbroken. Then Izuka had come along and made everything better. With some pretty pink flames and a cheery smile, she'd restored her hearing. By that time, Kyoka knew that Izuka had healed most of the class and noticed that she was looking pale and a bit shaky, though Izuka had shrugged it off. It struck Kyoka how casual it had been for Izuka; she had just waltzed in and a couple of seconds later, Kyoka's fears of deafness were gone. People charged premium rates for services like that, yet Izuka just did it. Because that was the kind of Hero she was. To Kyoka, that was something worthy of respect. She had been too shy and shocked to properly thank Izuka, but had resolved to thank her later. That chance wouldn't come now; because Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Kyoka could do.

Sero was a very normal guy. People had always assumed that with a face and quirk like his, he would just blend into the background, but he had worked his ass off and gotten into U.A' s Hero Program! He was a part of Class 1-A and his classmates respected that, each having worked just as hard to get there. He had pegged Izuka as a quiet, unassuming girl that had a lot more power than most expected. Sero liked her and would have admitted she was pretty cute, if it weren't for the fact Bakugou would likely murder his face. He was surprised when his two buddies, Denki and Eijiro and told him about how Izuka acted in the cafeteria after the crowd hurt Ochako. He had been kind of impressed too; the Class's Adorable Cinnamon Bunny had some fangs. Sero thought he might need to re-evaluate how he saw the timid girl… But Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Sero could do.

Tokoyami always embraced the darkness; he was a child of the shadows and had never feared it. Dark Shadow stopped him from truly being one with the dark, but Tokoyami feared losing control of the volatile quirk. Izuka Midoriya on the other hand, was a child of light. Every damn thing about her screamed light; her quirk, her eyes, her smile, her personality! Even her Hero Costume was a dazzling white, decorated with red and gold. She was the opposite of Tokoyami and yet the boy couldn't help but be somewhat fond of her. He was no fool; Tokoyami knew a few of the guys in class had small crushes on the girl, but that was to be expected; she was cute with an agreeable personality, but Tokoyami didn't count himself among them. She was… an oddity to him; a Child of Light that did not shrink away from the dark. When healing him, Izuka had purposely kept her flames small and dull to make him comfortable and would verbally warn him when she was about to heal an area Dark Shadow was occupying, giving the shadow an opportunity to move. It was odd that Izuka recognised that Dark Shadow had it's own will and she would often greet Tokoyami and the quirk separately. Tokoyami didn't want to date her or have any sort of romantic relationship with her, but he did want to walk beside her. She was a safe piece of the world of light that would not scorn the darkness. But now Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Tokoyami could do.

Toru was easy to overlook; she was invisible after all. She had gone her whole life without really being seen and had developed a bubbly personality as a result, so people would pay attention to her. Over time, the act became reality, but Toru did still have one particular hang up… no one looked her in the eye. It wasn't anyone's fault; no one could see her eyes, but as a result, people just looked at her chest, because it was the highest part of her they could usually see with her clothes. That was where Izuka had been different; she had looked straight at her, always trying to look her in the eye when talking, even though she couldn't see them. Naturally, Izuka didn't always succeed, sometimes looking at her mouth or nose instead, but she tried and that was what Toru liked, and unlike a lot of others who tried, Toru didn't get the impression that Izuka was just looking through her. To top it off, Izuka had made a plan to let her shine during the combat trial, and the confidence boost had led to Toru securing them the win in their second match; the Invisible Girl really wanted to thank Izuka for that! But Izuka was dead, and there was nothing Toru could do.

Todoroki had, for the last several years despised half of himself. His left side, scarred by boiling water and housing the flames of his father was like an eternal reminder of the monster that created him. But now… now was the first time he could honestly say he hated his right side just as much. Izuka had been right there… surrounded only by villains with no one else in the way to be caught up in Todoroki's fire, and yet he still didn't use it. Izuka would have survived; she was immune to fire! She would have been freed and had the chance to heal while the villains were consumed by the inferno, or at least badly hurt. There was absolutely no downside to him using his fire, and it would have saved her life! But he didn't. Izuka's screams and Katsuki's furious eyes told him exactly what he already knew; Shoto Todoroki was despicable, worse than even his father; he had let a comrade die over his own pride. Todoroki wanted to cry, wanted to beg and plead, prostrate himself before Izuka and ask for forgiveness. But he couldn't… Izuka was dead… and it was all his fault.

Tenya cursed himself. He cursed his slowness, his weakness, his cowardice. He cursed that he couldn't be even close to the strength of his brother. Ingenium wouldn't have let Izuka die; he would have saved her somehow. Tenya knew in his heart that he could have done something; he knew he was fast enough! It might have cost him his career, or even his life, but Tenya knew he could have gotten Izuka free long enough for one of the others to grab her and escape. It was just like the Entrance Exam all over again; he had frozen and chosen his own safety over another's, leaving a girl in peril, and this time, no one was there to clean up his mistake and save the victim. Izuka had saved his spot at U.A! She'd spoken in his defence and even convinced the class to make him their representative! So Tenya cursed himself… Izuka was dead, and he had done nothing!

Ochako had no hope of stemming the flow of tears that cascaded down her face. Her stomach felt like she'd used her quirk non-stop since it manifested, but she'd already emptied the contents when that monster took Izuka's leg. Izuka was her friend! She saved Ochako from the Zero Pointer and healed her ankle! In the Combat Trial, she'd treated Ochako like a real opponent and not just some soft little girl that couldn't fight. Izuka had become enraged when she'd been knocked down in the cafeteria, scolding the whole school for hurting Ochako, despite her own shyness. Despite the pain in her heart, Ochako took a rough battle stance; one she'd copied from Izuka, and prepared to fight alongside All-Might and Katsuki! Izuka was dead… but Ochako could help her get justice!

Momo felt the cold flames of hatred roaring up inside her. She'd dealt with bullies that mocked her or ostracised her because she was from a wealthy family. She'd weathered their comments and defied their stereotypes and had come to U.A, seeking to help others! She'd made her first friend in Izuka Midoriya, and soon adopted the girl as a little sister, because the silly girl cared more for others than herself, even if she was in the most peril. Momo had wanted to protect her, the girl that had looked up to her… Izuka had convinced the class to make Momo the Class President and despite Momo knowing Izuka was more powerful, the younger girl followed her loyally. Momo had wanted to protect Izuka. She created a long Bo-staff and prepared for a fight; Izuka was dead, but Momo could still carry on her will and protect the class as President!

Mineta had gone silent, his eyes glassy. He had known that it was a long shot for him to become a Hero… he knew exactly what others thought of him, what he was. He was a pervert, a lecherous midget with a weird quirk. Izuka had known that, Mineta had made enough comments and spent enough time staring at her backside and thighs, but even so, Izuka had never looked at him like he was filth like the other girls did… like he felt he deserved. She'd been kind, supportive and never did more than squeak with embarrassment at his comments. She could have kicked his ass easily, or set Bakugou on him, but she didn't. Even in the Battle Trial, she'd treated him like a valued comrade and not a nuisance like he'd expected. Hell, she'd stood up to Aizawa for his sake and that was nothing short of insane when the guy was willing to expel his entire class. Izuka had been an angel in Mineta's eyes… and then she'd surrendered to the villains to save him. Powerful, adorable Izuka had surrendered for the sake of pitiful, perverted Mineta. And it cost her life… Mineta knew one thing; when this was over, if he survived, he was leaving the Hero Course. Someone like him never had the right to stand on the same level as Izuka, and he certainly didn't deserve to stay when she was gone. Izuka was dead… and with her, all of Mineta's dreams.

Tsuyu always said what was on her mind, but now, she didn't know what to say. Her mind was a war zone of anger and misery. She was bitterly miserable at the death of Izuka, furiously angry at the Villains for killing her, disappointed with herself and her classmates for not doing more and All-Might for not showing up sooner. She was angry with Izuka for sacrificing herself, for demanding Mineta to force all the pain on her instead of letting Tsuyu share the burden, and most of all, she felt utter hatred at the little voice inside that felt relief every time it wasn't her name that tumbled from Mineta's mouth. Tsuyu wanted to scream, scold herself and friends, defeat the villains and most importantly, bring Izuka back. The last one wasn't possible… Izuka was dead, but Tsuyu had every intention of doing everything else on her list; starting with the villains!

Centipeder and Thirteen knew. They had known for a long time, about Izuka's true quirk. Centipeder had learned from Sir Nighteye and Thirteen had been informed as a U.A Teacher. Both knew that soon, that pile of dust would glow and a completely healthy Izuka Midoriya would pop out. They knew it, but it didn't stop it from hurting. Thirteen had lectured the class on how important it was to use their quirks safely, and then bungled it so badly that the Space Hero was barely conscious, leaning on Centipeder to stay upright. Centipeder was even more upset to be virtually uninjured; it wasn't right that he, a Pro Hero, had gotten away unscathed while the young students were hurt. Izuka Midoriya was dead, but she'd soon come back and both Pros were determined to do whatever they could to protect her and all the students! They wouldn't fail again.

Shota was in agony. His arms were broken, his nose and jaw were cracked, his legs were bruised to the point of looking purple and his back felt like Noumu's foot was permanently lodged in his spine… and not a damn bit of it mattered to the Underground Hero. Freaking Izuka Midoriya had gone and sacrificed herself for him; throwing her life away for the sake of saving him. Aizawa was the teacher; he should be the one looking out for his students. When Izuka revived, Aizawa was going to put her ass in detention for the rest of her life… then he was going to give her the biggest damn scolding he had in him. And then he'd hug her… Carrot and Stick seemed to work well with the immortal girl. But first, he had to figure out how to move without his limbs, so he could tear Shigaraki apart with his god damn teeth. Izuka was dead, but Aizawa was determined to not let that happen again!

Katsuki was silent, his face a mask of cool neutrality. Anyone that really understood him knew that this was his most dangerous state. Raging, sneering and exploding was the norm, but a quiet Katsuki… that foretold a very explosive Armageddon for the fool that caused it. The _fucking_ villains had killed Izuka. Tortured her and snuffed out her life, like it was some fucking game. Katsuki had a lot of people he wanted to kill; Half n Half for pussying out on using his fire, the muscly fuck with the exposed brain for holding her captive, the misty fuck that kidnapped her all those years ago, and most of all: he wanted to murder Tomura Shigaraki. Katsuki didn't use a nickname for the man any more, no, he wanted everyone to know exactly who was going to die for the unforgivable sin of laying a hand on his Izuka! When Izuka revived, Katsuki was wrapping her ass in bubble wrap and leaving her like that for at least a week… stupid Deku worrying him. Izuka was dead, but it was only about three and a half minutes until she revived, and Katsuki wanted to get some serious killing done before she came back.

All-Might, with his current expression, could easily be mistaken for someone else. Gone was his usual smile that shone even in the darkest times. Gone was the laugh that spat in the face of fear. Gone was the posing and joyful tone that eased the hearts of the people. Gone was the Symbol of Peace, and in his place, was a God of War. All-Might was like Ares, his rage so intense that it was palpable. Even the students and teachers he'd come to save looked up fearfully at the man, his teeth bared and a quiet growl rumbling in his chest as he walked down the stairs of the USJ, his eyes fixed on Tomura, the man that had DARED TO KILL HIS DAUGHTER! The lesser villains were ready to pass out from terror and even Kurogiri and Tomura took a step back at the intensity of the Hero's rage. All-Might was the Number One Hero, but at that moment, he put that side of himself away. Heroes were valiant and saved the day… Heroes didn't do the things that Toshinori Yagi was about to. Izuka was dead and would soon return, and Toshinori wanted to get most of the bone breaking done before then.

"I had a bad feeling, and came running back to U.A from the crime scene in Tatooin Ward. I happened to run across Recovery Girl, who warned me of Young Midoriya's message. Thanks to the two of them, I've got the gist of what happened." All-Might looked at the faces of the terrified and crying students. "You… you've made me angrier than I've ever felt; you've terrorised my students, you KILLED my student. They all gave it their all to fight against you, as a teacher, I'm proud of them. But… Young Midoriya was killed by you villains..." All-Might clenched his fist; "I'll give you no mercy."

In an instant, every single one of the small fry villains was unconscious and bleeding on the floor. All of them had at least two broken bones and five missing teeth; it wasn't a pretty sight, and All-Might just flicked the blood off his knuckles, his eyes fixed on Tomura. Another instant and All-Might was standing in front of the stairs again; every single student behind him, along with the three Pros.

"A-All-Might!" Ochako said, a watery smile on her face. "I'm sorry… Izuka… we couldn't do anything!"

"Be calm, Young Uraraka. Stay back; I will defeat those three." All-Might pointed at Kurogiri, Noumu and Shigaraki.

"Fuck that, All-Might." Katsuki said, stepping forward and cracking his knuckles; "The fucks killed Izuka… I'm going to murder them!"

"Ooh, that's a scary face. Do Heroes commit murder now?" Tomura taunted, "Wouldn't that make you a villain?"

All-Might didn't wait for another word to be said. He ran forward, putting his hands in front of him like an X. He was aiming for Shigaraki, but Noumu jumped in the way. "CAROLINA SMASH!" All-Might roared, delivering a cross chop to the villain's torso. Noumu was unfazed and swung his fists out in retaliation, forcing All-Might to duck backward. All-Might struck the creature a couple more times, only to come to the same conclusion.

"My blows aren't working!" he growled, punctuating his sentence with another punch to Noumu's gut.

"This Noumu was designed just to kill you, Hero Trash. His Shock Absorption Ability is the best in the world. If you want to hurt him, you'll need to slowly rip his guts out… not that he's going to just let you." Shigaraki smirked.

All-Might chuckled darkly, "Thanks for telling me. If that's what it takes..." the Hero darted around Noumu and grabbed him from the behind before leaning backward, smashing the villain into the ground with a massive backdrop slam.

"Hell yes! Beat 'em All-Might! Kick their asses for what they did to Izuka!" Kaminari yelled, most of the class screaming similar encouragement through their tears.

The dust cleared and the class was silenced. Kurogiri had opened a pair of warp gates, allowing Noumu's upper body to go through one and emerge from another beneath All-Might's back, where he'd reached up to sink his claws into the Hero's side. Shigaraki laughed; "You thought if you stuck Noumu in concrete, it would seal his movements? It wouldn't have worked; his power is the same level as yours, but now you've given Kurogiri the perfect opening!"

Kurogiri nodded; "This was the plan from the beginning. Noumu would stop you from moving, then I'd drag you down into the depths of my warp gates and close it, slicing you in half. It will be unpleasant to have your insides spilling out into my body, but I will endure for the sake of killing you."

"OUTTA THE FUCKING WAY, MISTY FUCK!" Katsuki suddenly roared, rocketing forward and slamming Kurogiri's head into the ground. The explosive boy pinned him down, his hand pressing down hard on the metal brace around the villain's neck. He was holding him down with such force, the ground beneath the villain was beginning to crack and the metal brace was making strained noises.

Just as Kurogiri was held down, a sheet of ice shot up Noumu's body, coating much of his right side in ice which penetrated right to the core of the creature's form. Todoroki stepped forward, walking over the ice with a dark look in his eyes; "I'd not normally freeze a living thing so deeply… but I'm not feeling very merciful right now."

Shigaraki snarled and moved to attack, only to be forced to narrowly avoid a trio of attacks as Momo, Ochako and Kirishima all launched blows at him, keeping him busy. To top it off, Tomura couldn't destroy them as Eraserhead's eyes were firmly locked on him.

Katsuki grinned cruelly, making his hand spark a bit against Kurogiri's neck brace; "You wouldn't need to wear this thing if you really were just mist. I bet what little guts you've got is stuck inside this, like a fucking soup can. Give me a reason, Misty Fuck, I'd LOVE to crack it open and see what's inside." he said menacingly.

Meanwhile, All-Might easily escaped the grip of the frozen Noumu, springing back to stand beside the young Heroes that had come to his rescue. Todoroki scowled at the villains; "We won't let you kill anyone else… not that scum like you could ever hope to kill the Symbol of Peace."

Katsuki and Tomura both noticed a light beginning to form in the dust a short distance away. Katsuki smirked; "Plus, it's not like you were able to actually kill anyone anyway!"

The class looked at the boy like he was mad, but their replies were cut off by a blinding light that quickly gave way to a massive inferno. A tornado of flame formed from the spot their classmate had been killed and a very familiar winged shadow appeared in it's depths.

"No way..."

"It's impossible?"

The flames exploded outwards, scorching the still frozen Noumu and burning much of Tomura's right arm. From within the flames, the shadowy figure emerged.

Izuka Midoriya, wings blazing, eyes sparkling descended to the floor of the USJ like an angel from heaven, the flames of determination burning within her. Her wounds were healed, her lost body parts restored and while her clothes were completely gone, Izuka was concealing her body in a dress made of fire that burned so hot, it appeared white. She truly looked like an angel, as if Izuka had been reborn as a celestial being.

"IZUKA!?" The class cried out as one, running to surround the miraculously revived girl. None of them could truly believe their eyes; most were crying tears of joy or screaming with happiness and relief. Their more stoic classmates were just smiling, happy and confused, but mostly just happy.

Izuka had returned from the dead! She'd literally been reborn from dust and ash… like a…

"Phoenix." Tsuyu muttered, eyes widening, "This explains everything… the fire, the wings, the healing and the strength. It's why the Mist Villain calls you Phoenix, why their leader killed you despite coming here to capture you… why you survived your year of kidnapping. Your quirk is like a Phoenix."

Izuka nodded "Everyone, I'm sorry I worried you. I promise, I'll explain everything, but first we need to defeat the enemy." Izuka said, a guilty smile on her face.

"Oh yes, we will definitely be getting that explanation!" Momo said sternly, before hugging the girl tightly, forcing Izuka to adjust her flames so they wouldn't burn her, "Thank you for coming back to us!"

"Momo, I'm so sorry… I wouldn't have done it unless I needed to. I had to protect Tsuyu and Minoru and that was the only way I could think of. I'll make it up to you… to all of you." she promised. "Before I get back in the fight, you should all know; no matter how I die, I revive after 200 seconds, which is roughly three and a half minutes. I can defend you, but if I go down, that's how long you'll need to wait before I come back."

"Whoa whoa, wait a minute!" Kirishima yelled, "You just got tortured and killed right in front of us, and you're saying you're going to just go and sacrifice yourself again!? Immortal or not, value your life a little, Izuka!" he scolded.

The Phoenix Girl smiled sadly; "I know… Believe me, I don't enjoy this. It hurts a lot, you can't imagine how bad having parts of you decayed feels. But I don't want any of you to feel that! All of you, all of Class 1-A are my friends and letting you get hurt would be more painful than taking the blows for you!"

"Then we'll need to have a plan." Todoroki stepped forward. Katsuki was still holding down Kurogiri and Todoroki's ice was holding Noumu, who was suffering from the burns Izuka's revival inflicted. Shigaraki was also occupied, his eyes fixed on Izuka as he submerged his burnt hand in the fountain. "Midoriya, you came up with a plan to defeat me and my team in the Combat Test; think you can do the same here?"

Izuka nodded and looked around, examining both her enemies and allies. Thirteen and Aizawa were out of commission, though Aizawa was valiantly pushing his stamina to the limits by continuously sealing Shigaraki's quirk. The rest of Class 1-A were mostly healthy; a few bumps and bruises but otherwise unharmed. Their main problem was exhaustion; many had likely used their empowered quirks too much and worn themselves out. Only Tsuyu, Minoru, Katsuki, Todoroki, Momo and Ochako were at full strength. All-Might was a bit wounded from Noumu's claws, but he could still be counted on as their main fighter. As for the villains, Noumu was weakened by burns and ice, Kurogiri was trapped and Tomura was hurt and effectively quirkless. It looked like an easy fight, but Izuka knew better; if Shigaraki was so calm, it meant he still had a chance.

"Okay guys, I have a plan. Firstly, everyone accept Tsuyu, Minoru, Kacchan, Todoroki, Momo and Ochako needs to get out of here. Head to the exit and get outside USJ. That Noumu was able to last this long and was likely designed to fight All-Might, so I need everyone not at 100% out of the fight." she instructed.

A few people grumbled, but none argued. If Izuka was going to get herself killed protecting them, then it was better they stayed out of the battle. Centipeder begrudgingly led the group away, leaving Izuka, All-Might and the six named students behind to fight. As they left, Izuka explained the plan, reopening links with the six students, as the old links were severed by her death. Six links was technically over her limit, but Izuka could handle it.

With Aizawa gone, Shigaraki felt his quirk returning and straightened up. "Ah, with the Little Bird back, the brats are going to be a problem. Noumu, kill the explosive brat and take back our warp gate." the man ordered.

To the shock of the heroes, Noumu began to struggle, his frozen body breaking apart as he pulled himself up. As soon as the frozen pieces of flesh fell away, they began to regrow, restoring Noumu's right side. With his restored arm, Noumu tore at his own burns, ripping away the damaged tissue and allowing it to regrow.

"Damn it, I thought his quirk was Shock Absorption!" All-Might cursed.

"I never said that was all he could do. This is his Hyper Regeneration. Noumu is our masterpiece; the trump card to kill you, All-Might!" Shigaraki roared as Noumu lunged towards Katsuki. All-Might leapt to intercept the attack and was punched by a nasty left hook, sending the Pro-Hero flying back. With All-Might momentarily out of the way, Noumu continued his attack, aiming to kill Katsuki with a mighty blow.

Thankfully for Katsuki, he had trained against All-Might alongside Izuka and was able to leap upward, putting his hands on Noumu's arm as he jumped over the creature's punch. The Explosive Boy continued his leap and with a small explosion to alter his trajectory, he shot himself downward with a vicious elbow drop into the beast's exposed brain. Noumu didn't react, so Katsuki continued his attack by slapping both palms against Noumu's eyes, then back flipping off of the creature, landing beside his classmates.

"Izuka, your damn resurrection takes too long! The class was freaking the fuck out! Give me the plan." he ordered. Izuka obeyed and the other five just gaped.

"You knew!?" Ochako said accusingly.

"Of course I fucking knew! Who do you think keeps this idiot from killing herself all the damn time! All the U.A Teachers know too." Katsuki smirked.

Ochako sulked; "Izuchan, we're definitely talking about this later!"

Since Katsuki was away from Kurogiri, the Warp Villain was able to straighten up, and since he was free, Noumu lost interest in attacking Katsuki. At least until Shigaraki spoke again.

"Noumu, crush the kids. Kill the Little Bird too, if she's down, she can't save the brats." he ordered.

Noumu silently obeyed, running at the group only to suddenly slam into All-Might. The two exchanged a few blows before Noumu was sent skidding back towards the villains.

"Tch, you took a few blows there, Hero. Using yourself to protect the brats… it infuriates me! That's the same garbage you taught the Little Bird! She actually got herself killed to protect those pathetic worms! Tell me, Hero, what justice is there in someone great dying for someone worthless!" Shigaraki declared.

Izuka narrowed her eyes as Tsuyu and Minoru looked down. "Ignore him, you two." she said, flashing them a smile; "You are not pathetic or worthless! Minoru, you saved Tsuyu just as much as I did by choosing me in Tomura's game, plus you were instrumental in winning our battles in the Combat Trial! Tsuyu, without you, Minoru would have died in the flood zone and I would have probably drowned too after zapping the villains. You're both heroes and my friends!"

All-Might grinned, the first smile he'd worn since arriving at USJ. "Young Izuka is correct! We all have our parts to play! My girl, I heard your plan; I'll give you the opening!" he declared, charging at Noumu. The Artificial Human ran forward too and the two met in the middle with a mighty shock wave.

The moment the two collided, Izuka flew at Tomura, flames surrounding her to protect her from Tomura's quirk. Even if he touched her, her flames would burn him, and with the damage done to his right, if he used it again, it would likely be reduced to ash, meaning he'd have to use his left! But truthfully, Shigaraki wasn't who she was aiming for.

As predicted, Kurogiri moved between them, opening a warp gate. The gate would likely lead to the Villain Base, since his goal was to catch Izuka, but at the last minute, Izuka swooped upwards. "Minoru, now!" she yelled.

Kurogiri's eyes widened as he suddenly found himself knocked to the floor again, this time by the small form of the grape boy slamming into his neck brace. He struggled, but found he was stuck to the ground by a mass of purple balls, rendering him unable to move. Izuka smiled as Phase 1 of her plan was successful; Ochako made Minoru float and then with a bit of thread created by Momo, he had been tied to Izuka so that when she flew at Kurogiri, Minoru was hidden behind her and her flames, completely out of sight of the villains. Then, when she swooped up, she'd swung the small boy at the villain's weak point, pausing long enough for him to trap Kurogiri with his Pop-off Balls before flying back to safety.

With their escape route cut off, it was time to take out the muscle of the Villain attack. Noumu was still engaged in a punch up with All-Might; each reflecting the other's blows with their own. All-Might was testing the creature's quirk; it was Shock Absorption, not Negation, so there had to be a limit at some point. It would be easy for All-Might to send the creature flying, but considering they'd already had one death today, they didn't want to risk Noumu rampaging wherever he landed. However, the group had already identified one weakness; Noumu couldn't use his regeneration on burnt areas; he had to manually tear those parts away to allow himself to heal, so if they could burn him deeply enough, they might be able to stop his healing altogether.

Noumu took a furious uppercut to the chin, All-Might launching him several feet into the air. From there, Katsuki smirked. "You know, those fancy moves earlier wasn't just to look cool. I worked up a real good sweat, and practically covered that ugly bastard in it."

With a snap of his fingers, all of his sweat on Noumu detonated, causing the upper layers of flesh to be burnt away. Katsuki grinned at his handiwork; with his quirk evolved by Izuka, he could remotely convert his sweat into Nitroglycerin, even if it didn't come from his palms. He could also detonate it remotely, draining a good chunk of his stamina, but blowing the shit out of his foes from a distance.

The crippled form of Noumu landed in front of the Heroes and Izuka immediately bathed it in fire, unleashing as much as she could to stop the slow regeneration of Noumu. As her fire was reaching it's zenith, Izuka felt herself growing stronger and turned her head, noticing that Todoroki had placed his hand against her back and was currently pumping his own flames into her, his entire left side ignited.

"Todoroki..." she whispered.

"I cost you your life once already because I refused to use this. I still hate this flame, but if it'll save lives, then I have no choice." Todoroki said.

The girl smiled at him. "Thank you."

The two kept up their fiery assault until finally, they let up and ended the attack, revealing what was left of Noumu; a metallic skeleton. The creature must have had a quirk that turned his bones into metal to support his strength, but with all it's flesh and internal organs burned away it was nothing but a giant metal sculpture now.

Shigaraki looked on with widening eyes; "No way… you brats cheated and killed my Noumu!"

Katsuki sneered at him; "Don't worry… you're next!" he yelled, running forward, All-Might running behind him. Tomura growled and raised his hands, ready to destroy both these bothersome blonds, only for All-Might to suddenly dodge to the side and Katsuki to be suddenly pulled back by a bungee cord produced by Momo.

"A feign!?" Shigaraki cursed, only to be blind sided by a sudden flurry of snow. He spun around to see All-Might had Todoroki stuck to his back with Minoru's quirk and he was currently blasting Tomura with snow. From his other side, the villain was sudden blasted with sand; Katsuki had touched down on the ground and used the bungee cord to swing Momo into the fray, and she was currently created sand at a remarkable rate.

Lastly, Izuka also joined the fray, using her Link with Todoroki to mimic his snow flurry while Tsuyu kept her tongue wrapped around a non-flaming part of Izuka's waist. The moment Tomura swung to try and decay one of them, All-Might would dodge away and Momo and Izuka would be pulled away by their partners, both of them weightless thanks to Ochako's quirk.

Izuka grinned; "I learnt three things from all those games you made me play, Tomura! First, you can only decay things that you can put all five fingers to, so powdery attacks like snow and sand are effective! Second, if I overstimulate you with physical sensations, swirling sights and targets that move out of range, you'll become easily confused. And Third, when you become confused, you're strategic mind fails and you become like a tantrum throwing kid!"

Tomura growled like an animal "Damn you! These fucking Heroes have corrupted you! But I won't lose!" he suddenly smirked, "That Noumu you killed was designed to take down All-Might! I have another for you..."

Izuka paused and suddenly, she couldn't breath. Gasping for air, Izuka's flames died out and she collapsed to the ground, no longer able to keep up her attack. Out of concern, the others stopped their attacks too.

"Look!" Mineta shouted, pointing to a spot a few feet from Izuka. A child-sized reptile was clinging to the floor, it's scales refracting light around it, but it's head was exposed as it used a strange hole on it's tongue to create a vacuum around Izuka, sucking away her air. The reptile had a strange, toothless mouth and an exposed brain, identifying it as another Noumu.

Tomura, with the attention off him, leapt away with a giddy grin. "That is the Anti-Phoenix Noumu! It is designed to perfectly counter you, Little Bird! It can create vacuum spaces to suffocate your flames, it can use a powerful suction to force you to fly towards it. It can swallow your body in any condition and is fireproof from the inside to keep you trapped! It's saliva even acts as a weak toxin that coagulates blood and alters it enough that your quirk can't use it for healing! Plus, it has a handy camouflage quirk built in!"

All-Might growled; "But can it take a punch!" he yelled, jumping and aiming a punch at the small Noumu. The creature squawked like a bird and jumped out of the way of the blow, releasing Izuka in the process. The girl immediately gasped for air and reapplied her flames to cover herself; thankfully the boys had been too concerned to notice her momentary nudity.

Just as the Lizard Noumu was about to pounce on Izuka, it was shot in the tongue, causing it to sprawl to the ground with a whine. The Heroes and Villains both looked up to the entrance, where they witnessed the arrival of a small army of Pro Heroes.

Nezu and Recovery Girl led the entire U.A staff into the USJ, accompanied by the Wild Wild Pussycats, Water Hose, Bubble Girl of the Sir Nighteye Agency and another Hero that Izuka recognised as Telecaster; a Pro-Hero that could convert himself and others into electromagnetic waves that could pass through phone connections, both physical and satellite. It was likely his quirk that allowed the non-U.A Heroes to arrive so soon.

"Sorry we're late y'all. We had to evacuate the other students along the way." Snipe greeted, lifting the rim of his hat with his pistol.

Tomura sighed; "I guess now it really is game over. Time to retreat." he whined. Kurogiri was free, Tomura having decayed his bindings while the Heroes were dealing with the new Noumu. Before anyone could stop them, the Lizard Noumu used it's light refraction to momentarily blind everyone and allow Kurogiri to warp it away. By the time everyone could see, the Noumu was gone and only Tomura's head was still visible in Kurogiri's warp gate.

"We may have lost this time, but next time, we'll kill you, All-Might! We'll take the Little Bird back too!" Tomura grinned and looked to Izuka, "You'll be home again soon… Sensei will ensure it."

Izuka froze; Sensei… impossible. He couldn't mean All for One!? She'd reduced him to ash! There was nothing left! There was no way he could have survived!

She gasped… there was also no way to prove he truly died.

"What in tarnation is going on?" Snipe asked aloud.

"They fled as soon as we showed up. It makes sense, since they were on their last legs, but after such a dramatic attack, it seems kind of anticlimactic." Midnight commented.

Nezu hopped off Blood King's shoulders, "They took us off guard… even after yesterday's attack and the threatening letter, we still weren't prepared. But let's concern ourselves with the student's well-being for now." he said, walking towards the group of seven students. "I hear you discovered Miss Midoriya's secret? I ask that you keep it a secret, even from friends and family. It is extremely important; I've already extended this warning to the group outside."

"We won't tell!" Ochako promised.

"With a quirk like that, if it got out, she'd be targeted. We'll protect her." Momo added.

"I owe her, so I'll keep quiet." Todoroki said simply, Mineta nodding along.

"Resurrection sounds amazing, but it's a scary thing to witness. Izuka, please don't die again." Tsuyu said.

Izuka sighed, leaning into Katsuki's arms as she released the links. "I can't make any promises, but I will try." she smiled, her body shaking from the slowly dissipating adrenaline. "Now were are Aizawa-Sensei and Thirteen-Sensei? I need to heal them."

"No." Nezu said firmly. "You've done very well, Miss Midoriya, but from this point, you follow my orders. You are going to go to the Nurse's Office and stay there until your parents pick you up. The rest of you will be checked out at the Medic Tent being set up outside. We Pros will round up the rest of the villains still here. School will likely be cancelled for the next day or so, so you are all to rest. Aizawa was already muttering about putting you in Life long Detention, Midoriya. I wouldn't push it."

Izuka gulped and bowed her head. There was no arguing with Nezu when he put his foot down, so she hugged her friends (Minoru didn't even make it pervy) and gave Kacchan a chaste kiss on the lips before allowing Recovery Girl to lead her away to the Nurse's office. The other six students were soon escorted out, allowing All-Might to leave his hero form with a sigh.

"That girl… every villain she encounters kills her! I'll be grey before she graduates." Toshinori complained.

"No doubt. That girl is going to put us all through a lot in the coming years, but we can't deny that without her, many students would have died today. It was only thanks to her that we knew something was happening." Nezu replied.

Toshinori stared up at the sky wistfully, "Everyone in Class 1-A watched the villain torture and kill her. Shigaraki probably thought it would crush their resolve, but I could see it in their eyes; he galvanised them. Each was so furiously determined and upon seeing Izuka resurrect, it was like watching children experience Christmas for the first time; the pure joy they felt. The League of Villains made a very powerful enemy today… or should I say 19 very powerful enemies." The Pro-Hero was also concerned with what Shigaraki had said… All for One was still alive? It was certainly possible; there was no body after Izuka's attack five years ago and with the number of quirks that man stole, it was possible he had found a way to escape. Toshinori would be staying on guard from now on.

Nezu smiled. A lot had happened; Class 1-A had experienced death and their first battle with Villains. Only time would tell what consequences these events would have, but the Principal was certain of one thing.

He'd be having to sign off on a new club: The Midoriya Protection Squad!


	12. The Truth Comes Out

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 12: The Truth Comes Out**

Following the Incident at the USJ, U.A was all over the news and the villains; Shigaraki and Kurogiri had become infamous. The News hadn't mentioned any students by name, but had reported that two teachers and a student were badly hurt, with the student nearly dying. Class 1-A knew this was Izuka, and was also a lie; she HAD died, but they couldn't report that for obvious reasons. Aizawa and Thirteen had been taken to hospital and treated. Thirteen had the lesser injuries, mainly lacerations across their back and upper arms, but thankfully, their life wasn't in any danger and they were expected to make a full recovery. Aizawa-Sensei was a different case; his arms were smashed to splinters, his face was fractured and the bones around his eyes had been badly damaged, which might eventually cause his eyesight to deteriorate, though he was also expected to recover.

Unsurprisingly, school was cancelled. The USJ incident happened on a Thursday, so the students had Friday and the Weekend off to recuperate. What minor injuries Class 1-A had were easily healed by Recovery Girl, and their stamina was quickly restored after some rest. Inko Midoriya had gone ballistic after hearing Izuka had died and Toshinori had been injured by Noumu, but she'd stopped scolding them long enough to cry and fuss over them. Izuka wasn't exactly grounded, but she was kept inside for the three day break, her mother begging her to take it easy. Thanks to the girls in class, Izuka's number had circulated and now everyone in class had it, so Izuka spent her weekend chatting with them and texting, promising to reveal all on Monday.

Now that it was Monday, Izuka was pacing around the den, her parents and Katsuki watching with amusement. "I knew my quirk would probably come out eventually, but I didn't expect it to be our fourth day of class! I've got no idea how to explain everything!" Izuka complained.

"Just tell them the truth. There's no need to hide it now." her mother offered.

"There's no point either. Froggy worked it out pretty damn fast." Katsuki added.

"That's not what I mean!" Izuka said, sitting down with a whine, "How much of the truth can I tell them?"

Toshinori smiled softly; "Agent Nest will be coming to class today to get everyone to sign non-disclosure agreements. He'll stop you if you start to say anything classified."

"But… what about you?" Izuka said quietly, "I don't like lying to my friends; they were all so worried about me! I've gotten scolded by all of them at least once for not telling them… can I tell them you're my dad?"

The Pro paused. He wanted to just say no, but in the grand scheme of things, discovering Izuka was his step-daughter was probably less surprising than discovering she was immortal. It's not like it could put any more of a target on her; her Phoenix and Evolution Quirks already made her the Number One Target of everyone who knew!

"There will be conditions." he said sternly. "You can tell the class about our relationship but NOT about One for All. Also, if you tell the other students, I'll have to be harder on you in class to show I'm not being biased."

"R-Really!? That's great! Thank you Papa!" she squealed happily, lunging forward to hug the man.

Toshinori chuckled, hiding a grimace as Izuka brushed against his wound. The Battle with All for One had knocked him down to 70% of his true power, but Noumu aggravating the wound combined with him forbidding Izuka from healing it had further reduced him to 50%. All-Might could still safely use half his power, and if he was willing to risk his health, he could boost himself to 100%, but there was a time limit and if it expired, he couldn't fight at all until his stamina returned.

"Alright, you and Katsuki need to get ready to leave." Toshi said, patting his daughter's head.

"We ARE ready. We've been ready since before Deku started agonising." Katsuki smirked.

"Shut up, Lil' Baku!" Izuka snapped with a blush, which grew darker at Katsuki's infuriating grin.

"I'm coming too." Inko suddenly announced; "I'm entrusting my baby's secrets to these children, as well as my husband's. I want to speak to them personally."

"Mom, you don't have to..." Izuka said, being wrapped in her mother's embrace.

"I do. Your classmates saw you die. As your mother, I have a duty to ensure they're alright and to properly entrust our safety to them."

The girl groaned a bit, but didn't argue; her mother was a stubborn as her, so there was no dissuading her. The three Yagi-Midoriyas piled into Toshinori's car along with Katsuki and drove off to U.A, ready to get the explanations over width.

They met Nezu and Agent Nest at the entrance, discovering that Izuka and Katsuki were the last 1-A students to arrive; the others having been called in early. Nest sighed a bit as Toshinori told him the new plan. "You people are far too kind hearted. Whatever, let's get this done." he complained, ruffling Izuka's hair before leading them to Class 1-A.

The moment Izuka and Katsuki entered the room, they were met with a surge of shouted greetings and happy smiles. Momo was at the front of the class and quickly had everyone back to their seats. "Izuka, I'm so glad you came! Oh, Principal Nezu, Good day sir."

Nezu chuckled, "Good day, Miss Yaoyorozu. As you can all see, we have a few guests with us today. These are Agent Nest from the Government, as well as Mr and Mrs Yagi-Midoriya; Miss Midoriya's parents. They've come to help explain some of what happened at the USJ. Now, let us begin-"

The Principal's words were cut off by the classroom door opening and a… Mummy? Stepping into the class room.

"A-Aizawa-Sensei!?" several students shouted. "That goes beyond Pro!"

Aizawa-Sensei hobbled in, much of his face covered in bandages and his arms in slings. "Morning." he said simply.

Nezu and Toshinori both face-palmed; they hoped he wasn't planning on seriously scolding Izuka for her recklessness while wrapped up like an Egyptian Exhibit. For her part, Izuka looked like she was violently twitching at the sight, pink flames flickering in and out of existence around her hands.

"Aizawa-Sensei!" she suddenly yelled, "Of all the irresponsible…!? If Recovery Girl could see you, she'd knock you out and send you to the Hospital!"

The man raised an eyebrow through his bandages (and inwardly winced at the pain if caused him), "You have no right to be talking about irresponsible, Midoriya." he said blankly.

"Hmph! I'm healing you!" Izuka declared, conjuring her pink flames. Aizawa put a hand up.

"Oh no you're not." he frowned, only for Izuka to give him a rebellious look.

"I'm already in detention for the rest of my life, right? You can't stop me." she said, a smile on her face that would look more at home on Katsuki.

"You can't, my injuries are too much. You'll pass out from blood loss." he retorted, his tone making it sound like he had won some sort of battle of wits.

Kirishima grinned impishly and stood up; "Well then she can use some of mine." he said, "Your healing needs a drop of blood from the patient, but it doesn't matter where the rest comes from, right?"

"Eiji, I can't ask you to do that." Izuka protested.

"You didn't ask him." Kaminari said, standing up as well, "Just like you didn't ask me. We're still doing it."

"Yeah! Aizawa-Sensei got hurt defending us! The least we can do is help heal him!" Ochako added, hopping to her feet.

"Stupid Deku will kill herself again if we don't. I'll give some blood to keep you standing, Dumb Ass Mummy." Katsuki smirked.

Aizawa watched, equally annoyed and touched by his students concern, as every single one stood up to offer blood. Even Inko got into it and offered some, "for taking care of my daughter" she said. Using Sato's pocket knife to slash their palms, each of his students placed their bleeding hands into the Pink Flames as Izuka began her work, slowly peeling away bandages. His arms cracked painfully as the pieces snapped back together. His bruises protested as they melted away and his face felt like it had been repeatedly slapped as the damage there was healed. Izuka was just finishing up when Aizawa grabbed her hand.

"That's enough." he ordered.

"But the wound is still there! I healed the damage to the bone, so you won't lose vision, but if I leave it half finished, it'll scar!" Izuka protested.

"Good. It'll remind me not to be so foolish next time. Now heal the others hands." he said, reapplying some gauze to the gash beneath his right eye.

Izuka pouted but obeyed. With twenty people in addition to herself offering blood, Izuka had been able to heal Aizawa without any noticeable weakness in herself or the others. She easily healed the cuts that her classmates had made and they all went back to their seats with smiles, smirks and cocky grins.

Aizawa-Sensei sighed and bowed his head; "Thank you for helping me. You're all good kids." he straightened up, "You've also all got detention. Damn kids..." he grumbled, taking his seat and allowing the class's visitors to do what they came to do.

"Well, that was chaotic." Nest muttered with a smirk. Aizawa shot him a long suffering glare. Nest continued; "I am Agent Nest. I assist the government in the classification, management and hiding of rare and powerful quirks. As you've all become aware of Miss Midoriya's quirks, Codenamed Phoenix and Link Evolution, I've been called in to ensure she doesn't accidentally reveal classified information, as well as have you all sign non-disclosure agreements. I will leave the actual explanations to Miss Midoriya, so you can ignore me for now." he said, handing the agreements to the students. "Read those and sign them before leaving the room." Nest told them as he headed to the corner of the room.

"Alright, Midoriya, it's all you. Take your time; normal classes aren't being held today." Nezu said.

Izuka nodded and stood in front of the class, her mother on her left and her father on her right. "W-Well, it's kind of a long story. The first thing I should say is that I have three quirks. My real quirk, the one I was born with is called Phoenix. It gives me the wings, fire control, healing and immortality. The second one is the one I showed you all in USJ; Link Evolution. I don't fully understand the science behind it, but it was a quirk artificially created by All for One and then put inside me when I was his prisoner. It lets me make special links with people so I can talk to them mentally and use their quirk, but it also permanently powers up that person's quirk."

"Yeah, a lot of us got some crazy new powers after linking with you at USJ." Kirishima said. "It's kind of weird though, we can use our old powers easily, but the new ones are really tiring."

"Not all of them though." Ochako pointed out, "I can use my quirk a lot easier now, I don't get sick as easily even when not using the powered up mode."

Izuka nodded; "Link Evolution seems to have two effects; the first is adaption, which evolves your body to better suit your quirk. If any of you had drawbacks, they've likely disappeared or lessened, making your quirks more like those from the beginning of the Quirk Age. The second is the power up."

The Class nodded in understanding. At the beginning of the Quirk Age, the so called Origin Quirks were incredibly powerful, gradually weakening and diluting through the generations which resulted in some people having quirks that were harmful to them or unsuited to their bodies. "You know, calling our super quirks by a ton of different names is kind of annoying." Kaminari commented.

"Do you have a better idea?" Kyoka asked.

The Lightning Boy thought on it for a moment, then snapped his fingers, "I know! We'll call it Plus Ultra Mode! It works perfectly!"

"Heck yeah! All in favour of calling it Plus Ultra Mode, say aye!" Kirishima declared. The entire class said "Aye!" so it was quickly accepted.

"So Izuka, aside from Phoenix and Link Evolution, what's your third quirk? I assume it's the strength, since you didn't mention that as part of Phoenix." Tsuyu pointed out.

Izuka nodded; "The Third Quirk is a strength augmentation quirk. I got it while I was All for One's prisoner..." it was technically true, from a certain point of view, "I didn't name it and just kind of treat it as part of Phoenix." Also technically true, Izuka didn't name One for All, "It's hard on my body though. If I use too much, I break my limbs. I've adjusted enough to use it fairly safely, but I usually prefer to rely on my fire."

"That's pretty amazing. It sucks how you got those powers, but they're really cool!" Sero commented.

Ochako shakily raised her hand, "Izuka… can you tell us more… about All for One and what happened?"

Izuka gulped, "I can. It's not a nice story, but I don't mind telling it. It started on my 9th birthday..."

And like that, Izuka spent much of the next hour telling her classmates exactly what had happened. She told them how Katsuki had been the original target, how she'd been thought of as quirkless and even how she'd been murdered, which was the moment her quirk manifested. She told them of the cruel experiments and Tomura's games that tore her apart again and again. She told them of how she was strictly educated and moulded to be a weapon for the villains. She told them of the mental conditioning; the repeated attempts to force her to hurt and kill others. She told them of the rescue and how she'd been the one to kill All for One (or so she had thought). She even told them of how her birth father had come back into the picture to try and claim her now that she had a quirk.

By the time she was done, Izuka was fairly tired, drained by the emotional outpouring. Her eyes were glued to the floor, not wanting to see the expressions of her classmates as they silently took in what she'd told them. She feared their reactions, her timid side emerging again. Would they fear her for what she'd done? Would they think she was secretly a villain? Would they shun her? Izuka had faith in her class, but she wouldn't blame them for thinking those things. Killing the mindless Noumus had been one thing, but a human was another thing altogether, Villain or not.

"Oh my god." Ochako finally muttered, before leaping to her feet with a sob. Izuka flinched, thinking her friend was about to flee the room, but instead, the Gravity Girl ran and hugged her close, sobbing into her shoulder. "You went through so much! They really hurt you! How can you still be so… so kind!?"

"Huh?" Izuka was dumbfounded as she looked to Kacchan for help.

He just smirked; "What, did you think Round Face and the others would ditch you? You're a fucking Hero, stupid little rabbit."

Izuka didn't know how to answer as the other girls in the class stood to hug her as well, resulting in a group hug in the middle of class. Even Tokoyami's Dark Shadow had popped up, nuzzling into Izuka's cheek and making her giggle at the funny little chirps it made.

"You guys… you're really the best, you know that?" Izuka muttered, unable to stop her own happy tears.

"When we thought you were dead… a lot of us thought a lot of things about you. About what we wanted to say and what we thought we'd never get the chance to say." Momo said, "So over the weekend, I went around everyone's houses and made this." she handed a little card to Izuka with a smile.

The card was hand-crafted by Momo, without her quirk and had several pages inside, all with a message from a class mate to Izuka. With tears in her eyes, Izuka read the messages.

" _Mademoiselle, you are easily the second biggest star in this class! Let us continue to twinkle together! Aoyama."_

" _Thank you for all you did for me at the USJ! I'm going to be your Big Sis now, just like Momo! No arguing, embrace it Lil Sis! Love Mina"_

" _I would have been killed if not for you. I kind of want to yell at you for sacrificing yourself, but even if I did, you'd still do it again. You're that kind of Hero. Let's work together when we're pros. Love Tsuyu."_

" _You inspired me, Izuka. My brother had always been a hero to me, and now you are as well. I promise to work hard so I never freeze again; next time, I will save you! Warm Regards, Tenya Iida."_

" _Izuka, you're super nice and strong, and you cared enough about me to get mad when I was hurt in the panic at lunch. I want to be a great hero like you, so I'm going to work really hard! Let's continue to be friends and rivals! Love Ochako."_

" _Midoriya, you're a great fighter. I really like your style. Also, thanks to you, I can do some interesting things with my tail now. If you ever want to train, feel free to ask me. I'll be happy to give you pointers. Ojiro."_

" _Little Bunny, you're a super cool girl. You saved my dumb ass three times, so I owe you three big favours! Don't go dying until I pay 'em all back! Kaminari."_

" _Izuka, you're the manliest girl in class and I mean that in the best way possible. Thanks to you, I was able to push my hardness to a new level and look really awesome doing it! I can help a lot more people now, so in the future, if the class needs a shield, let me go first before you risk yourself. Also, I'm totally you're bro now! Love Big Bro Eijiro."_

" _Midoriya, you're very nice. Thank you for learning how to sign hello, just for me. I don't like talking, but if you ever want to someone you can talk to, then I'll be there. I'm good at keeping secrets. Also, please don't die again, it makes me sad. Koda."_

" _Yo Midoriya! I'm making a big cake in celebration of you coming back to life! It's kind of like a birthday, in a weird way. I'm sorry I hurt myself a while back, I'll be more mindful in future. Also, don't go getting killed! If you die again, I won't make you any sweets for a week :P! Let's bake together sometime soon! Sato."_

" _Midoriya, you have a kind heart and are humble, despite your strength. You have my respect. Please call on me if you require anything. I will be watching you, so stay healthy. Shoji."_

" _Izuka, I swear I'll kick your ass if you go and die again! Still, I'm super glad you're alright. Also, I need to thank you for healing my ears back in the Combat Trial. I don't know what I'd do if I lost my hearing. Keep being an awesome hero, just don't die to do it, 'kay? Kyoka."_

" _Hey Midoriya! I know we don't know each other well yet, but I wanna say you're a great person! Your quirk is amazing, but I'll be real with you, it scares me a bit. Try not to die too often, right? Let's get to know each other better in the future! Sero."_

" _Midoriya, I am glad you returned from the land of the dead. I'll be honest, seeing you die, I was introduced to a realm of darkness that I didn't like. You are a beacon for all of us in this class and it would be bad for us if our beacon went out, even if it was only temporary. Dark Shadow also likes it when you sneak him food, but I ask you don't do it often as it all ends up in my stomach. Yes, I did notice. Let us continue forth as comrades. Fumikage Tokoyami."_

" _Honestly, I don't feel like I deserve to be a part of this, but Yaoyorozu insisted. Midoriya, I did something unforgivable at the USJ. I let my issues with my father stand in the way of saving another person's life and that resulted in your death. I don't ask forgiveness, I know I don't deserve it, but I swear I will do better. Using my fire… it is still an issue. Perhaps I'll explain to you why… I owe you at least that much. I'm sorry. Todoroki."_

" _IZUKA! Gosh, I've no idea how to write what I'm feeling right now. Thank you for saving us all! Thank you for always trying to look me in the eye and not overlooking me! Thank you for putting up with my babbling! I even babble in letters, weird right? I want to be friends for a really long time, so please don't get hurt! Love Toru 3"_

" _I love you. Kacchan. P.S, you owe me for writing something so sappy and for getting your ass killed! Fucking Ponytail is squealing like crazy. We're going on a date to that awesome Korean Barbecue!"_

" _Hey Izuka. Is it okay that I used your first name? You used mine at USJ, so I guess this makes us even? I wanted to say thanks; you didn't deserve to be hurt for my sake. I know I say a lot of stuff that creeps out girls, but before I always figured they'd hate me anyway, so I just said what I wanted. But with you, it feels kind of creepy since you're so nice. Sorry I said inappropriate stuff; I know I'm a pervert, but I guess this is the first time I felt really bad about it. You're an amazing Hero, Izuka. Thank you for not hating me. I owe you everything. Minoru."_

" _I'm last! I wanted to do this in seat order, so it came out with me on the end! I've seen all the notes others have written and by now, so have you. You know how much everyone in class loves you and cares for you. I know I can't stop you from sacrificing yourself for others, but in the future, please value your life as much as all of us value it. Love Big Sis Momo!"_

Izuka felt tears pouring down her face, but she couldn't care less. She just felt so overwhelmingly happy! She'd lived her life as a friendless, quirkless girl, then a freak experiment, then the secret child of All-Might. But now… now she was a girl with friends. Real friends! Class 1-A loved her, and she loved them.

Unable to keep it all in, her emotions tumbled from her mouth in a flurry of words and promises; "Aoyama, you're the biggest star in the world! Mina, I'd love to be your little sister! Tsuyu, I really want us to work together as Pros! Tenya, you're one of my heroes too! Ochako, I'm gonna be the best rival and friend ever! Ojiro, I'd love to spar sometime, your fighting is amazing! Kaminari, I'm going to use all those favours, so keep being my friend! Big Bro Eijiro, you're the manliest guy in class! Koda, I want to learn more sign language so we can talk! Sato, we're going to make the biggest cake ever and have everyone eat it together! Shoji, I respect you a lot too so I'll be watching your health as well! Kyoka, I'm going to be an awesome hero and so are you! Sero, I want to get to know you more as well! Tokoyami, you and Dark Shadow are amazing, I want to spend more time with both of you! Todoroki, you're my friend no matter what, I'll always forgive you! Toru, I love your babbling, it makes you charming! Minoru, you're a good guy no matter what you think, even if you are a pervert! Momo, thank you so much for doing this for me! Kacchan, I love you too! I love all of you so much! Thank you for being my friends!"

The All-Girl group hug soon evolved into an entire class group hug, with even Todoroki and Tokoyami being roped in after a few glares from Katsuki. As the tears dried and everyone slowly seperated, Katsuki grinned.

"Savour the moment fuckers, this is the only time I'll let you get away with hugging my Izuka without an ass-kicking!" he said.

"Even us girls?" Ochako asked with a wobbly lip.

"Nah, you girls are fine, unless I think you're trying to steal my girl, in which case; asses will be kicked."

Kyoka smirked; "Even though we're girls?"

"I'm an Equal Opportunity Ass Kicker!"

The teenagers laughed and the tension bled out of the room. Nezu, Nest and Aizawa smiled softly at the whole exchange. Toshinori hugged his wife to his side as Inko cried happy tears at her daughter having so many wonderful friends.

Once everyone had finally calmed down and Izuka had convinced her friends to take their seats, she suddenly blinked, remembering the other thing she had to say. "Oh, also..." she pointed to her father. "This is Toshinori Yagi, my step-dad. He's also All-Might."

A moment of silence and then…

"WHAT!?"

Toshinori sighed; "Smooth, my girl. Yes, I am All-Might. If you all stay calm, I'll answer your questions." he said, transforming into his hero form to prove his point. The class was awed and promptly shut up, though All-Might could see them bouncing in their seats, eager to ask questions.

"Alright. I'll go over some facts first; all of this is protected information covered in those Non-Disclosure agreements. It is crucial for the safety of Izuka and her mother that you not reveal any of it. My real name is Toshinori Yagi, the form I'm currently in is my Hero Form, which infuses my body with my quirk and makes me appear larger and stronger. It's kind of like when guys go to the beach and posture a lot. Anyway, I met Inko after rescuing Izuka and allowed her and Izuka to live with me to protect them from Izuka's Blood Father and any villains still hunting Izuka. Over time, Inko and I fell in love and married. Izuka and Inko are still Midoriyas legally, but we consider ourselves the Yagi-Midoriya Family. As I am a relative of Izuka, I am not responsible for any of her grading and I didn't give her the recommendation, nor did I influence it. She got into U.A on her own merits." All-Might explained.

Kirishima looked over to Katsuki; "I bet you knew already, right bro?"

"Of course I was, Shitty Hair! I practically live with them. I've got my own room in their house." Katsuki snapped. "Izuka and I have been friends since we were babies. My mom and Auntie Inko are best friends."

Inko stepped forward with a smile, "That's true. Please forgive Katsuki's brashness; he's a very nice young man really. I wanted to meet all of my daughter's wonderful friends!" she smiled brightly, making the class coo. Izuka definitely got her adorableness from her mom!

"We are Class 1-A! Welcome, Mrs Yagi-Midoriya!" Tenya said, leaping to his feet and running to grab a spare seat for the lady. "I am Tenya Iida, a friend of Izuka's! Please, take a seat."

"Oh my, how kind." Inko giggled as she sat. "I have heard of you, Tenya. Izuka said you are very straight-laced and responsible. My Izuka gets herself into all sorts of trouble, so please look out for her."

"We all will! Right?" Ochako yelled, looking to the others for support, who gave it freely.

"You're so sweet. You must be Ochako Uraraka! Izuka mentioned you. She told me you're very kind and cheerful. I'm glad; you've helped cheer her up and boost her confidence a fair bit!" Inko said, making Ochako blush and smile wider while Izuka tried to hide her own blush behind her father. "In fact, I think I can name all of you from Izuka's descriptions! You're all she talks about!" she said, then proceeded to correctly point out and name each member of Class 1-A.

"It's kind of nice to know that even Mama Midoriya knows us!" Toru cheered.

Inko giggled, "I like that nickname! Mama Midoriya… Izuka never calls me Mama unless she's really upset."

"Mom..." Izuka whined, "That's normal! I'm 15!"

"You still call your father "Papa" though!" Inko smiled mischievously at her daughter.

"Mom!" Izuka squeaked, turning scarlet.

"It's nothing to be ashamed off! You're a Daddy's Girl, I bet you aren't the only one in your class! Besides, it was bound to happen; All-Might has been your idol since you were old enough to walk and talk." Inko said, smiling wistfully as she remembered those simpler days.

"Tell us more about Baby Izuka!" Mina shouted eagerly, suppressing her giggles.

"Mom, don't!"

"Oh come now Honey, it's not so bad! Consider this some payback for worrying me so much!" Inko said, petting her daughter's head.

Thankfully, Inko only told one story that also included Katsuki, so the class didn't dare laugh too much for fear of setting off the explosive boy. It was the rather adorable and sappy story of when Katsuki first declared he'd marry Izuka when they grew up and how Izuka had walked around for the rest of the day with a happy glow to her face. It was a cute story and when Sero teasingly asked Katsuki if he would go through with it, the Explosive Boy had growled and spat back:

"A Promise is a promise Tape Arms."

Katsuki had hoped that would shut everyone up, but it had instead made the class think better of him. He decided this wasn't a bad thing… if Izuka's friends trusted and liked him, it would be easier to protect her from assholes.

Eventually, after some playful banter and chattering with the students, Toshinori and Inko left, each kissing Izuka's cheeks before heading out. Nest also quietly excused himself, collecting everyone's non-disclosure agreements first.

That left Class 1-A with just Aizawa and Nezu, each of whom had some announcements to make before school resumed for real (only the Hero Classes were present today, the others would be returning tomorrow).

Aizawa-Sensei stood up and ushered Izuka to her seat. "Right, I've got two announcements to make. The first is that sometime this week, we'll all be going back to the USJ. It's been repaired and had the security increased, so it will be safe. You all need to complete the Rescue Trial. I'll understand if you have doubts about going back, but as Heroes in training, you need this training." he told them, watching them sympathetically as more than one looked distressed by the idea.

"My second announcement is that while normal classes aren't being held today, Hero Classes are. This afternoon, we'll be heading to Gym Gamma for a special training session. Each of you has had your Quirk improved by Midoriya's Link Evolution, so we'll be seeing what you can do, the limits of your stamina and any of the more passive increases you've received. Midoriya, since Link Evolution doesn't improve your own quirks, you'll be assisting me by linking with me and using my Erasure to help keep the class under control." Aizawa explained, "There will also be a second Quirk Apprehension Test. In keeping with Kaminari's idea, consider it Quirk Apprehension: Plus Ultra."

The Class chattered excitedly at that, each eager to try out their new abilities. Nezu smiled at their enthusiasm. "I have a couple of exciting announcements as well! The first is the big one that will effect you the most; U.A is officially converting to a boarding school."

"Whoa, what!? A boarding school!" Sato yelled.

"I...I wasn't expecting that." Tokoyami admitted, wide eyed. "Why the sudden change?"

Nezu hushed them, "It isn't as sudden as you think. You see, only a minority of our students are actually local. Many live in neighbouring cities and travel here by train, while others have to rent local apartments because their homes are so far away. U.A usually subsidises this, reimbursing students for rent, travel expenses, living expenses etc. It is pretty expensive, so for the last few years, the teachers and governors have argued over whether the initial cost of building dormitories and hiring additional staff would be worth it. After the USJ attack, Security was added to the issue and it was decided it would be best for the students to live on campus. Over the next two weeks, a Quirk Approved Building Company will be building a large number of dormitory complexes on school grounds; one for each class. When construction is complete, all students will be expected to move in. The Teachers not on duty today are currently going around talking to your parents to make sure it's alright. Since we sprung this on you, all current students will be allowed to opt out, but all new students will not. In addition, the bursary office will no longer be covering expenses, so students that rent or travel by train will either need to pay for themselves or move to the dorms. Naturally, all teachers will be living on site too, unless they have families. Miss Midoriya, your parents are a small exception, but they'll explain it to you later."

"Wow. It's kind of cool, the idea of living at school." Toru commented.

"It is interesting. I think I'll opt in." Momo said.

"I definitely will!" Ochako cheered, "I rent an apartment 'cause my folks live in the countryside, but living with my friends in the dorms sounds so much better!"

"It does sound cool actually. I'm in." Kyoka smiled.

Nezu clapped; "Excellent! Now my last announcement isn't as exciting, but it is important! Over the three days before the dorms are completed, the Annual School Sports Festival is being held! It may seem ordinary after the Villain Attack, but it's crucial to demonstrate to the public that U.A is secure and confident in it's security. After all, our festival has taken the place of the Olympics in the hearts of the Japanese Public!"

"The Nation's Top Heroes will all be watching." Momo said, "They'll be there scouting us."

"Yeah, they'll be looking to hire us as Sidekicks after we graduate! This is how we get our names out there!" Kaminari grinned.

"And a lot of those Sidekicks never go solo, remaining sidekicks forever." Kyoka deadpanned, "That'll probably be you, Kaminari. You're kinda dumb."

"Hey!"

"This event is very important for getting you an early entry to the world of Professional Heroism! You are here for three years, so you only have three shots at this!" Nezu said, "So work hard. Naturally, the rules remain the same as previous years, but we do have some additional unwritten ones." the Principal looked to Izuka, "Midoriya, Link Evolution is forbidden on the day of the festival! If you use it, you'll be disqualified along with whoever you use it with. Naturally, as your Plus Ultra Modes are now independent of Link Evolution, you can all use them."

Nezu hopped off of Aizawa's desk. "Now I've got some important work to do! I leave the rest to you kids!" he said, before leaving.

Aizawa just sighed. "Right… I can never read that guy..." he muttered, making the class sweat-drop. "Anyway, before we wrap up this morning, we've got one last thing to discuss. Mineta, this is all yours."

The Short Boy flinched and shot Aizawa an annoyed look. "You kind of dropped me in it now, Sensei!" he grumbled, getting to his feet and moving to stand at the front of the class. "So, uh, I was going to tell you all this later but..." Mineta gulped.

"After the Sports Festival, I'll be transferring to the General Education Department."

"What!? But Mineta, why!? You helped a lot in the USJ and Combat Trial!" Toru exclaimed.

"T-This isn't because of what I did, is it?" Izuka gasped, "Mineta, I'm sorry I forced you to pick me in Tomura's game, but I knew I could handle it!"

"Yeah, come on." Kyoka scowled, "You may be a nasty little Pervert, but it's not like any of us hate you."

Mineta teared up a bit, "I… Thanks for that. But this is something I decided during the USJ, and seeing Izuka come back to life and keep fighting just made me want to do it more! Before, I was only in the Hero Department because I wanted to look cool and get girls, but now… now I really want to be a great hero, like you guys!"

Katsuki scowled, "So you wanted to be cool and joined the Hero Department, but now that you really want to be a Hero, you're dropping out to Gen Ed? That makes no goddamn sense."

"I know it sounds that way, but hear me out." Mineta sighed, "Seeing you all fight at the USJ, I realised how different I was from all of you. I'm fairly smart and always thought I was good with my quirk, but I needed Izuka to help me come up with anything during the Combat Trial and USJ. I didn't have the real will of a hero like you guys do. Now that I want to be a real hero that everyone can count on… I don't feel like I deserve to stand on the same stage as you guys yet. So I'm going to go to General Education and work my butt off and become amazing! Then next year, I'll go to the Sports Festival again and show everyone my new resolve and take back my seat in this class!"

No one really knew how to respond to that. Mineta looked pumped up, a confident and determined look in his eyes. It was almost hard to think of this boy and the perverted gremlin as the same person! Izuka was the first to respond, standing up and smiling at Mineta, the same determination in her own eyes.

"Okay! I'll be cheering you on Minoru! Get really strong and come back!" she said.

"Yes! Work hard, Mineta! Your resolve is exemplary!" Tenya cheered, making his enthusiastic gestures again.

"You were brave at USJ. I'll support you too." Tsuyu smiled.

"You fucking better get stronger, Grape Midget!" Katsuki yelled, "After a declaration like that, I'll kill you if you disappoint us!"

Mineta smiled and choked down happy tears. "R-Right!"

Aizawa watched his students, a faint smile hidden beneath his scarves. It had taken only a week and some serious adversity, but his little Golden Eggs were starting to hatch and come together. As he dismissed them all for lunch, he couldn't help but think… _"They're all annoying and take far too much energy to deal with… but I'm proud of them. Grow strong, my hatchlings, it only gets harder from here!"_


	13. New Limits

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 13: New Limits**

As Class 1-A walked to lunch, Izuka smiled happily, glad that her friends had mostly moved on from the topic of her quirk and parentage. Now, everyone had the same two things on their mind; their improved abilities and the Sports Festival. They were all sat together in the mostly empty lunch room, Izuka flanked by Katsuki and Momo.

"Man, this has me so freaking pumped!" Kirishima cheered, "If we show our stuff at the festival, that's a big step towards going Pro!"

"You're pretty excited, huh? I'm not so sure myself." Izuka commented.

"You're not? This is our chance to add our names to the ranks of heroes! It seems right up your alley." Tenya pointed out.

Izuka shrugged; "I'm not really one for competition. I love watching the event though, but it doesn't usually showcase the sorts of things I want to show as a hero. It's a lot like the Entrance Exam; heavily suited towards combat types."

"Hey yeah, you're a Hero nerd. What can you tell us about the event? Got any inside scoops from All-Might?" Kyoka asked with a teasing smile.

"Nope, today is the first I've heard of this year's event." Izuka said, before digging a notebook from her bag, "But I have got a lot on the past Sports Festivals! Every one since I learned to write, except the year I was kidnapped. Even then, the League let me watch the event on a TV."

"Odd thing for the villains to do..." Sero said as he watched Izuka flick through her notebooks.

"Know your enemy. Even for villains, it's sound advice." Tokoyami stated.

Izuka grinned as she found the page she was looking for; "Aha! This is my general analysis on the event! The first year portion has three events; the third of which is always a one on one battle tournament. The first event is usually a speed based event meant to weed out large numbers, probably an obstacle course or some kind of triathlon? The second event is usually the most varied, but it is always a team event of some sort, like a Cavalry Battle, Capture the Flag or Pole Toppling. Everything else is different from year to year."

"It is pretty combative, isn't it." Tenya said, pouring over Izuka's notes. "A rescue and support specialist like yourself wouldn't get to shine as much in this kind of event. Still, these events do show team work, strategy and reaction speed, which you excel at."

"Heck yeah!" Ochako declared, an unusually determined (and slightly scary) expression on her face. "Izuka, Tenya, at the Sports Festival, let's do our best!" she declared.

"Jeez, you're not looking very bright, even though that's what your name means." Mina commented.

Ochako ignored Mina's words and leapt to her feet, pumping her fist into the air, "Everyone, I'm gonna crush this!"

"Yeah!" Kirishima cheered, pumping his own fist too.

Uraraka calmed down a bit, before pulling Izuka and Tenya away, dragging them from the lunch room with a small blush and leaving the rest of the class with bewildered expressions. She pulled them all the way to a quiet, empty hallway before turning and facing them, both looking confused and a bit startled by her behaviour.

"Ochako, what is going on? There was no need to drag us here, you could have just asked!" Tenya scolded with his usual hand gestures.

"W-Well, I kind of wanted to confess something and you two are like the most dependable people in our class." Ochako said bashfully, rubbing her neck.

"What is it? If we can help, we will!" Izuka assured her.

Ochako looked down. "It's what Mineta said. He's leaving the Hero Course because he entered it with the wrong mindset right, so he's leaving until he feels worthy. It made me think of my own situation a little..."

Izuka tilted her head; "I doubt you want to be a hero to look cool or get girls. Why did you want to become a Hero?"

"M-Money..." Ochako confessed, "I'm sorry, I know it seems really bad compared to your reasons. It's kind of embarrassing, especially since you both have such noble motivations..."

"Why? There is nothing wrong with seeking a more comfortable lifestyle." Tenya said.

"Yeah, it's a little unexpected, but it's not a bad thing." Izuka added.

Ochako perked up a bit, glad her friends weren't judging her. "It's not really for me. My folks run a construction company but business is bad and so we're really struggling for money. Quirk Licensed Construction Companies are so popular, the older mundane companies can't compete and acquiring both a Quirk License and workers with the appropriate quirks is just too expensive..."

She stared at her hands, remembering a memory from long ago. "My quirk would have been really useful to my parents, but when I said I wanted to work for them when I grew up, my dad told me he and mom would be happier if I made my own dreams come true. So I want to become a great hero and earn lots of money, so they can take it easy, and I can send them on vacation to Hawaii!"

Izuka smiled, Ochako wasn't someone that just idolised heroes and so wanted to be one, she truly did want to help people, even if it was her parents. It wasn't a selfish desire, and Izuka couldn't help but admire it. "Being a Hero for the sake of others is the whole point of being a Hero! I think you're on the right path." she said, patting the round faced girl on the shoulder.

"It is a marvellous desire! Heroism not just for the sake of the people, but also to let your parents live easier lives. I stand in awe of your dedication!" Tenya cheered, making Ochako blush more.

"Thanks you two. I knew I could count on you to cheer me up."

At that moment, All-Might in his Hero Form came charging down the hallway, "Young Izuka! I've been looking for you!" he grinned, coming to a stop and raising a small bento box made by his wife, "Lunch! Wanna eat with me?"

"Adorable! Daddy-daughter lunch!" Ochako gushed, making Izuka blush and playfully swat her.

"You two head back. I'm going to stay with my dad." she told them, before following All-Might to the staff break room. After the two had sat down and made some tea, All-Might deflated to his civilian form.

"Your mother has already headed home. I wanted to talk to you about the announcements Nezu made." he said, opening his lunch.

"The Dorms and Sports Festival?"

Toshi nodded. "That's right. As a teacher, I'm expected to live on campus too, unless I have a family to take care of. Your mother and I talked about it and we decided that now we know the League of Villains is definitely still after you and has an Artificial Human designed to capture you, it would be better for your safety if you lived at U.A with me."

"But we can't! If both of us move here, Mom will be all alone!" Izuka protested, only to be met by her Papa's calming hand on her head.

"I know, my girl. This isn't set in stone yet, you're mother and I decided to follow your decision on this. If you accept to live at U.A, Principal Nezu has agreed to hire your mom as the Dorm Caretaker for Class 1-A's dormitory. As she is a trained First Aider and has a lot of experience in administration, she meets the requirements, plus that would give us an excuse for me to live in your dormitory with you. Normally, only your Homeroom Teacher would stay in your dorms; the teachers have lodging in a seperate area." Toshinori explained. "The wages aren't as good as your mom's current job, but between my hero pay and royalties from the use of my image, none of us actually need to work. Do you think you'd be alright with that?"

Izuka thought about it. She'd still have her Mom and Dad living with her, their family would be safer from villains, she'd be on campus most of the time so she could really train hard AND she'd get to live with her friends! There wasn't a lot of downsides, though she would miss living in Toshi's house, but they'd always come back during breaks.

"Okay. If Mom doesn't mind changing jobs, then I'd like us all to live here at U.A." Izuka said.

"Excellent! It'll take some adjusting to, but I think this will be a great thing! Power Loader has the Support Classes working to strengthen our alert systems and create detectors keyed to Kurogiri. If any place will be safe from the League, it'll be here."

Izuka nodded with a small smile. She couldn't help but wonder how much different her life will be now that U.A was becoming a Boarding School. She hoped all of Class 1-A would want to move to the dorms, so they'd be together. Now that the League had made a move, Izuka was anxious about her friends' safety.

Seeing the worry starting to creep on to his daughter's face, Toshinori hastened to change the subject. "The Dorm thing was sort of a family affair; what I wanted to talk to you most was something entirely to do with you." he told her. "It's about the Sports Festival."

"The Festival? What about it?" Izuka asked, puzzled.

Toshinori sighed; "I'll be frank with you. The All for One incident cut my power down to 70%, and the most recent attack cut it further down to 50%. Call it a hunch, but I believe that before long, my power will disappear altogether."

"What!? Why!? And what does this have to do with the festival!?" Izuka exclaimed.

"Calm down, Izuka. This was inevitable and has been for five years." Toshinori said soothingly, "One for All, as I told you before, is like a torch. Once it's passed on, the previous flame will slowly burn out. My master told me that the longest anyone had lasted with it after passing it on was ten years. We're at five and I've made it worse because of my injury. You saved my life the day I passed One for All to you, both by restoring my body and giving me a family. I am proud that you are my successor." he ran his long fingers through her hair, marvelling at the softness of the beautiful dark green curls. Izuka's eyes were shining again, tears threatening to spill over.

"Papa..." she murmured, enjoying the feeling of her father stroking her hair. "I'll be the best successor ever, I promise!"

"I know, my girl. I may lose my power in the coming years, but I aim to stay alive for a long time! I want to see you become an even greater hero than me! I want to see Young Katsuki keep his promise! I want to walk you down the aisle at your wedding and hold my grand-kids in my arms! We've got a long road ahead of us my dear, and it starts at the Sports Festival!" Toshinori declared, smiling as brilliantly as he did in Hero Form.

"You want me to win?" Izuka asked, looking determined. She wanted her Papa to be proud of her, so if he wanted her to win, she'd do it!

"Truthfully, victory isn't that important here." the man replied. "The U.A Sports Festival is an event watched by the entire country, no, the entire world! For us, for you, that means one thing; you, as the next Symbol of Peace, need to tell the world "I AM HERE!" More than Heroes, the people need hope! It's hope that turns everyday people into Heroes, so I want people to look at you and feel hope!"

"So it's not about winning the festival, but showing the public they can count on me?"

"Exactly so! Your rescue from the All for One Incident works well as a tragic low point, while your involvement in the Moncalama and USJ incidents show your devotion and progress to helping others!"

Izuka raised an eyebrow; "Tragic low point? You make this sound like a comic book origin story."

"As corny as it is, that's exactly the case! A kid with no problems becoming a Hero is a nice thing to hear about, but think of how people will react to you! "A Kidnapped and Tortured Child is rescued from evil and immediately saves the life of the Number One Hero! She then devotes her life to helping others, proving her mettle by protecting Civilians and her fellow students, all without asking for repayment, simply acting because it is the right thing to do!" That sounds like an inspirational story, which will instil more hope in the people! As a symbol, you can't just beat villains and rescue people, you need to be an inspiration that makes people rest easy just because they know you're there!"

"Ah! I see!" Izuka's eyes widened, "I'm not aiming to be just another Hero, I'm aiming for the top! I need to give it my all and show the world that I'm working hard for their sake!"

"Yes! Good girl! Keep that in mind, as well as how you felt when defending Water Hose and your Classmates, and you'll definitely show the world who you are!" Toshinori cheered.

Izuka suddenly felt pumped up. She hadn't been too bothered about making a big showing at the festival, but with All-Might's words in her ears, she couldn't help but be inspired to work harder and rise to the top! Now she just had to figure out how to do it while also staying true to the type of Hero she wanted to be. She wanted to win without sacrificing her methods, or else the victory would be meaningless! She spent most of the rest of her lunch hour discussing this with her dad, who was happy to give her insights. Finally, she left ten minutes before Afternoon Classes were due to begin, hoping to meet up with her friends before they began. As she raced to the lunch room, she found Todoroki waiting for her.

"Midoriya." he called.

"Oh, Todoroki! Hi! Did you need something, or do you just want to talk?" Izuka asked kindly.

"I wanted to talk. It's important. Do you mind coming with me to the roof?"

Izuka blushed. That was definitely a Confession style venue! Todoroki wasn't going to confess was he!? She had no idea how to handle that! Plus Kacchan already seemed murderously angry with Todoroki for some reason, he didn't need another reason to be mad!

"Oh sure! I'm pretty popular today! First Ochako wants to talk, then my dad and now you!" she laughs nervously, hoping the mention of her father would scare Todoroki off it was a confession. Instead, the boy just nodded with his usual, neutral expression. That put Izuka at ease a bit… either Todoroki was fearless, or it wasn't a confession. But if it wasn't a confession… Izuka wondered what it could be about as she silently followed Todoroki up to the roof of the school. Unlike most schools, U.A's unusual shape meant there were two main rooftops with smaller ones dotted about for the walkways between the two main buildings and the small satellite buildings. Todoroki lead Izuka to one that was between the two main buildings and had a canopy. This roof was used as a meeting spot for the school gardening club, and thus was full of plants, mostly vegetables and flowerbeds, though a large cherry tree was planted in the centre.

"Sorry to drag you away before class, but this is important." Todoroki began, leaning against the tree. "It's about what happened at the USJ."

That gave Izuka pause. For some reason, Todoroki seemed to think it was his fault she'd died. Izuka wasn't sure why, but then again, when Tomura was torturing her, she wasn't exactly lucid as to what was happening 90% of the time. "Okay…? What's up?"

"Your death that day was my fault." Todoroki said simply, a flicker of pain in his eyes.

"What? No it wasn't! You had nothing to do with it! I was already caught by the time you arrived, and you couldn't have interfered without getting Tsuyu and Minoru killed too. I don't see how you're at fault." Izuka pointed out.

Todoroki raised an eyebrow; "Did you not hear what Bakugou was yelling?"

"I did kind of just have my leg decayed from my body..." Izuka deadpanned.

The dual-coloured boy looked embarrassed, "Ah, fair point. When Asui and Mineta were free, Bakugou shouted for me to use my quirk to save you. I replied by saying I couldn't… that my ice would have caught you too and the shock might kill you in your injured state."

"Yeah, you were probably right. I still don't see how… oh." the pieces fell into place and Izuka remembered the bit about fire in Todoroki's note to her.

"Yes. Oh." the boy scowled, "You are completely immune to fire. Those three villains weren't. If I had used my fire, you wouldn't have been killed."

Izuka frowned. This was why Todoroki felt responsible, and truthfully, as much as Izuka hated to admit it, he was at least a little bit right, but the girl wanted to comfort him, convince him that it was alright! But how would she do that if she partly agreed with him. "I see..." she began, still trying to bring the words she wanted together, "I can't say you're completely wrong, but I can't say for sure that it would have ended well if you had used your flames."

"How so?" Todoroki asked.

"The Noumu that held me was fast, able to catch Tsuyu and Minoru from right beside me without me even having a chance to react, though admittedly, my senses were kind of dull from the links. Plus, Kurogiri was there and could have redirected your attack. To be honest, your flames might have saved me… or they might have been used to hurt you and the rest of the class. Ultimately, I think you made the right choice, you just had the wrong reasons, if you see what I mean."

The boy blinked, surprised by her words, "You know my reasons?"

"Not exactly, though I can assume some things. I'm guessing it has something to do with your father and the burn on your face? I won't pry if you don't want to tell me, but I'd be happy to listen if you did want to." Izuka smiled softly.

Todoroki sighed and sat down on a tree root. "It seems I'm destined to break my pledge around you. First the Combat Trial and second during the USJ."

"Your flames were really valuable back then!" Izuka cheered him on, "If you hadn't been giving them to me, restoring my power, I might not have had the strength to finish off Noumu! I don't know why you shrink away from your flames, but I don't think you should; I felt them remember… I can't explain it well, but they felt like good flames."

Todoroki chuckled darkly, "Good flames you say… I've never heard that before. You know, if you and All-Might hadn't revealed your connection, I'd have asked you if you were his secret love child or something. Personally, given how similar you are, I find it kind of hard to believe you're just his Step-Daughter." he paused for a moment, "You know my father is Endeavor, the Number Two Hero." it was a statement, not a question.

"Of course. Endeavor helped save me from All for One. Come to think of it, he actually gave me a birthday present that year too! It came with a card that mentioned he had a son my age. It ended kind of weirdly though, he said he hoped I'd prove a worthy rival." Izuka said, reminiscing to the little party they'd had in the hospital all those years ago.

"Did he now? That bastard was already planning ahead… He's been competing with All-Might for years. He thinks of your father as a roadblock and an eyesore. But he could never beat him on his own… so he came up with another plan." Todoroki said grimly.

Izuka gulped, she had a feeling she knew where this was going…

"From what you mentioned about your biological father, I assume you are also the product of a Quirk Marriage."

The girl looked down, "You too, huh?" she mumbled.

Todoroki nodded, "You know how it is. During the second and third generation of the Quirk Age, people with powerful quirks forced others into marriages to produce children with strong quirks. It isn't socially accepted now, and the people who do it are scorned. Of course, with my father being the Number Two Hero, he covered it up. It was easy for him to convince my mother's family to accept the marriage."

"Yeah I know the feeling... My dad is Hisashi Kintaro, second son of the Kintaro Family. He created me in the hopes of bringing a super powerful quirk into the family, a combination of a Psychic Type and his family's famed Evolution. It sort of worked, but it didn't manifest normally, so he assumed I was quirkless and abandoned me. Though, from your expression, I think I ended up in a better position than you." Izuka said.

"I disagree. Endeavor and his training were bad, even abusive from a certain point of view, but I can't say it was as bad as being kidnapped and tortured. Still, I'd have rather been abandoned than raised as a tool by that Human Trash." Todoroki raised a hand to his scar, "As I remember it, my mother was always crying. One day, she snapped and saw me as my father, or at least half of him. She told me she couldn't stand to see my left side… then poured scalding hot water on my face."

Izuka turned pale. She had been burned before by the Villains, before the fire immunity of her quirk fully manifested… she couldn't imagine the pain the poor boy had experienced. At least for her, she'd died quickly and the wounds hadn't lingered.

"That is why I reject my left side! I don't ever want to use that man's quirk! Never using it, no, rising to the top specifically without using it… if I do that, I'll have denied him everything!"

"You're wrong!" Izuka suddenly yelled. Todoroki startled and looked up at her, seeing the tears threatening to spill from her eyes, "You aren't denying Endeavor! Even if you never use his quirk, he's still your father, just like Hisashi is still mine! What you're doing is denying yourself! If I cut off my entire left side, I wouldn't be able to live without it, it is a part of me, just as yours is a part of you! Endeavor may have provided you with half your DNA, but it still belongs to you and you alone! Todoroki, you're really amazing, so I can't stand to see you actively hurting your chances to become a Hero!"

Todoroki looked down, clenching his fist in anger, "It's not that simple…!"

"No, it isn't. I know that. But… at the USJ, the chances of your flames saving me weren't very high, but one day in the future, your flames might be able to save someone else! Or even yourself! Would you condemn yourself or someone else to death because you're afraid of being like your father? And stop this nonsense of calling it your father's quirk! It's yours now, and if you want to get back at your father, wouldn't it be better to use his quirk to rise to the top and become a better man than he could ever hope to be? Use that power and reject his philosophy instead."

The two locked eyes for a moment. Izuka's shone with determination, her expression showing that she truly wanted to see Todoroki as an amazing hero. His own was full of doubt… was it selfish of him to weaken himself for the sake of spiting his father? A Hero was meant to help others… by doing things just for himself, Todoroki was rejecting his father's quirk, but was unwittingly embracing his father's philosophy… if he had to choose between Endeavor's Quirk and his methods, Todoroki knew which he'd rather have.

"I...I need time to think." Todoroki frowned, getting up and walking away, "I'm not going to get to class on time. Could you please cover for me with Aizawa-Sensei?"

Izuka nodded with a gentle smile, "Of course, that's what friends are for, right Todoroki?"

"Shoto." he said. "If anyone in this class has the right to call me that, it's you."

"Okay! Then call me Izuka! Um, I know that Kacchan is mad at you for the USJ, but don't let it get you down! He's really protective of me!" Izuka said shyly, "But I think you two could become good friends."

Shoto raised an eyebrow and smirked a bit, "Making excuses for your boyfriend, huh?"

Izuka blushed, "W-Well, I do love him."

Shoto chuckled and walked away. "Lucky guy..." he murmured, just out of Izuka's hearing.

Izuka smiled, feeling a bit happier now that she'd gotten close to the only person in class that hadn't really warmed up to them all, pun not intended. Her revelry was interrupted by the bell for Afternoon Classes, so she shot off to get ready.

Dressing in her Gym Clothes, Izuka quickly reached Gym Gamma, were Cementoss and Aizawa-Sensei were letting everyone in. Her Homeroom Teacher looked to her; "You're almost late. Do you know were Todoroki is?" he asked.

"Uh yeah. He wasn't feeling well so he came to me. I sent him to see Recovery Girl. He should be back soon." she lied. Aizawa raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her, but he didn't press the issue and gestured for Izuka to join her classmates.

Cementoss spread his arms out as the class entered, "This is Gym Gamma, also known as the Training Dream Land! I designed this place myself and it is entirely made of concrete, so I can freely control the place and build any terrain I wish. Students usually come here to create their signature moves, but today, Aizawa-Sensei has asked me to help you try out your improved quirks, or Plus Ultra Modes, as I hear they've been called."

The Class looked around; Gym Gamma was huge and held nothing but flat, concrete floors with some measurement markings to make it easier for Cementoss to create accurate spaces for training.

"Alright class, we'll be training one at a time, so we don't get overwhelmed by a large number of overpowered quirks. We'll be pushing your limits too, so when I call you up, use your quirk until you run out of stamina. If you start to suffer pain or feel you are injuring yourselves, you are to stop immediately. If you don't, Midoriya or I will erase your quirk. Midoriya, link with me." Aizawa ordered.

Izuka nodded and closed her eyes, remembering the feeling of Aizawa's link before re-establishing it. The class looked at her with confusion, "Oh, I should have mentioned. Once I've formed a link with someone, I can re-establish the link without physical contact. However, there's a distance limit of a few miles and if the person I link to rejects the link, it gives me a nasty migraine."

"Cool, but kind of a bad side effect. Say, can you use the links to track people?" Kirishima asked, obviously thinking of Shigaraki and Kurogiri, who she'd been forced to link to years ago.

"I can, but only if they accept the link. The League has always rejected it and I don't want to keep trying..." Izuka said disappointedly.

"That's a shame." Momo sighed, before turning to Aizawa, "Sensei, you've linked with Izuka too, what is your Plus Ultra Mode?"

The man blinked, "Me? Well it doesn't give me a lot of new abilities, but it does improve my Erasure. If I use my quirk in Plus Ultra Mode, it will erase others for 45 seconds, starting from when I look away, instead of only erasing them while I'm looking at them. Interestingly, I've also received an adaption." he said, pulling some files from his sleeping bag; "Recovery Girl did full scans on all of you, and me as well, while she checked you over after the USJ and has been able to pinpoint the adaptions that Midoriya's quirk made to our bodies, the ones not related to Plus Ultra Mode. For me, I've always been prone to Dry Eye, but the cells of my eyes, optic nerves and the immediate area around them have been reinforced and now contain some sort of natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungal compound, making my eyes resistant to damage from light, as well as resistant to diseases and infections that affect the eyes. No more Dry Eye." he said with a small grin.

"Amazing! Who else got adaptions?" Mina asked.

Aizawa looked at the names on the files he'd been given, "Aoyama, Ashido, Iida, Uraraka, Kaminari, Sato, Shoji, Jiro, Tokoyami, Todoroki, Bakugou, Mineta and Yaoyorozu." he read. "Aoyama's digestive system has been slightly altered to make it more energy efficient, and his navel is now covered by a gem-like membrane that acts as a focusing lens."

"Indeed! My fabulous Navel Laser no longer leaks out if I don't wear my belt, and my tummy won't hurt if I use it! However, I have noticed I can only use it well if I have eaten! If I am hungry, my laser is weaker and I get hunger pains." Aoyama said with his usual sparkling smile.

"That probably confirms that your laser uses the contents of your stomach as fuel. You probably have to eat a lot, just like I do." Momo said.

"Next is you, Ashido. Recovery Girl detected a thin protective membrane on your skin cells that is highly resistant to acid." Aizawa continued.

Mina nodded, "Yeah! I've always been kind of immune to my own acid, but if I use it too much, whatever was protecting me starts to get used up. I haven't reached the limit on how long I can use it now, but I was able to practice for three hours straight without damage over the weekend."

"Hmm, we may have to wait until the Summer to see if there is a real limit there. Iida, your scans indicate some kind of new internal system in your calves. By the looks of it, Recovery Girl came to the conclusion it was some sort of natural cooling system, as the system appears to be producing cold sweat." Iida looked thoughtful, but said nothing. Izuka hadn't known that overheating was a problem with his quirk, but then again, she didn't know much about engines. "Uraraka, your stomach is apparently stronger and is producing some sort of natural anti-nausea substance that is mixed in with the stomach lining."

"Yeah, I was able to make people float at the USJ really easily. I didn't feel sick at all. I wonder if it's limitless..." the brunette hummed in thought.

"Kaminari, yours is both obvious and unusual. Somehow, your nervous system has gained an insulating layer around it, protecting you from outside electrical discharges. Recovery Girl writes that the material, while organic, is like nothing she's ever seen."

The electric blond grinned, "I know right! I can use three times as much juice before I start to get tired."

"Yeah, you're quirk is really hard to deal with." Izuka said, "I used it at USJ and after just a few bolts, my head felt foggy, like that time I accidentally drank some of my dad's beer..."

"Accidentally?" Kyoka smirked teasingly.

"I thought it was apple juice!" Izuka said indignantly.

Aizawa rolled his eyes, "Back on topic… Sato, it looks like you don't have to fear the dentist any more. Recovery Girl wrote that your enamel is as hard as steel, making your teeth nearly unbreakable. I suppose it's a way to offset the amount of sugar you eat?"

"Cool! It'll save me a ton on toothpaste. You would not believe how much I spend on the stuff because of my quirk." Sato grinned.

"Shoji, your adaption seems to be a simple improvement over your natural abilities. Your tentacles exhibit a faster healing speed. According to this file, Recovery Girl hypothesises you'll be able to regrow lost arms within a few hours."

Shoji raised his arms and looked at them a bit, before turning to Izuka and giving her a thumbs up, which she returned with a happy grin. Aizawa kept reading, "Jiro, yours is simple too. Your ears have been reinforced, specifically the inner workings. I suspect this will offer protection against deafness. Tokoyami… huh, that's interesting. Tokoyami, can you show us your arm?"

The Bird Boy nodded and pulled up his sleeve, showing his skin to the class. It was slightly darker, as if he had gotten a tan, though it was only noticeable if one wasn't aware of how pale Tokoyami's skin was before. "All my skin has darkened slightly. I suspect this is my adaption?"

Aizawa nodded, "Yes. Your skin has received an increase in melanin, or at least a melanin like substance. We're still not sure exactly how Midoriya's Link Evolution works, but it appears to have decided that your aversion to light was linked to your pale skin and has darkened it slightly with that substance to make you resistant to it. Have you noticed any difference?"

Tokoyami nodded, "There has been a slight difference. Dark Shadow doesn't seem to fear the light as much, though it still weakens him."

"Next is Todoroki, but he's not back yet. His skin has adapted slightly to be resistant to extreme temperatures. Something to do with his Epidermis or something." Aizawa muttered, not really understanding some of the more advanced notes. He was knowledgeable in First Aid and the body, but Recovery Girl liked complicating her notes. "Bakugou, your arms are tougher. The bones have thickened and the muscles have also become sterner. I'm guessing your arms previously limited how big your explosions were?"

"Yeah." Katsuki said, "If my explosions were too big, It'd fuck up my wrists."

"How come you didn't get upgraded before? You've been Izuka's friend for years, I'd have thought you'd have jumped at the chance." Sero asked.

Katsuki gave him a dirty look; "What, you think I'd take a short cut!? I wanted to get into U.A on my own power, without Izuka's help. I was going to see how far I could go before I linked with her, but the Villain attack fucked that up. Still, I use everything at my disposal during a crisis… unlike some fuckers." he said darkly. Izuka flinched, so that was why Kacchan was mad at Shoto…

"Yes well, moving on before I feel the urge to invest in a swear jar… Mineta, your scalp has become tougher and the blood vessels aren't as close to the surface. You probably won't bleed if you pluck too many of your Pop-Off balls. Yaoyorozu… yours is… I have no idea how to explain it. Recovery Girl has written some cryptic things about your entire body acting like a brain." Aizawa looked puzzled at the notes.

"I can explain it." Momo smiled, "My quirk has developed it's own kind of intelligence. It's… unusual, but I think it's the same as Izuka's Link Evolution. It kind of does its thing without her having to directly choose how to evolve others, and mine is similar. The best way of describing it is by saying I'm like a computer and my quirk is a secondary hard drive. I can sort of transfer my knowledge from my memory to my quirk, allowing me to create things without having to consciously remember their structure. Though transferring knowledge seems to use stamina, so I think the actual transfer is a part of my Plus Ultra Mode."

"That sounds more like moving knowledge between your conscious and subconscious memory. Still, that's a pretty amazing adaption." Izuka commented.

"Freaking complicated too." Kaminari muttered, "A quirk with it's own mind..."

"It's more common than you think." Izuka said, "I learnt some stuff about it while I was with All for One. You guys know how his quirk allowed him to steal and give other quirks, right? Well he wasn't able to steal certain quirks, like mine or All-Might's, because he said they had their own spirit. Look at Dark Shadow for example; it's under Tokoyami's control, but it can still act and think independently. The phenomenon is referred to as Sentient Quirk, Companion Quirk or even Soul Quirk!" she explained with a grin. Unsurprisingly, every word that had been said since the class began had been dutifully written in her notebook, where each of her classmates had their own page.

"So Momo's Creation has become like Dark Shadow? That's kind of cool!" Toru cheered.

"Yes yes, it's all very cool. Now we've established what adaptions you've gained from the Evolution, it's time to start working on the actual Plus Ultra Modes. Aoyama, you're up." Aizawa said, signalling to Cementoss to prepare the area.

Cementoss put his hands to the concrete floor and produced several targets of varying size and thickness. Aoyama stepped forward and pulled up his gym jacket and shirt, revealing his stomach (he didn't wear the special belt any more). Where his belly button should be was a pale blue opaque gem, about the size of a fist and perfectly circular, though it was cut in an octagonal style, with multiple triangular facets around the rim of the octagon face. "This is my sparkling belly button!" Aoyama bragged as the class marvelled at the gem. It wasn't literally a gemstone, the material more like a cross between bone and a kind of organic glass, still it did sparkle nicely, like a piece of Aoyama's laser turned solid.

"Alright, Aoyama, I want you to use Plus Ultra Mode and each ability you can until you are too tired to continue. If you start to feel pain, then stop." Aizawa ordered, only receiving a nod and dismissive wave from the flamboyant blond.

"Let's shine, Navel Laser Plus Ultra!" Aoyama declared. His navel gem glowed brightly for a few moments then shot an incredibly powerful laser blast at the thickest target. The beam carved through the concrete like a hot knife through butter and actually went all the way to the far wall, cutting through it before stopping at the metal support beams, which it made glowing hot before Aoyama stopped it. That was the same super-charged laser that had melted the door at the USJ. The effort of using the beam, even for only a few seconds left Aoyama panting, trying to maintain his posing and confident smile despite the sweat pouring down his face. Next, he fired a much smaller laser, smaller than even his standard one. Izuka observed that this beam only shot from the octagonal face of his navel gem, while the standard laser shot from the whole gem and the super version used the gem like a magnifying glass. This smaller beam was as powerful as the regular beam, but much more accurate, though it seemed to use more stamina as Aoyama had to focus more to keep the beam concentrated. Lastly, Aoyama shot a laser from the entire gem, but instead of allowing the lasers from each facet of the gem to combine into a single beam like normal, he kept them seperate, resulting in a spread shot, like a laser shot gun. By the time he was finished, Aoyama collapsed, panting hard.

"Very good. Plus Ultra Mode grants you a Super Laser, a more refined and accurate laser and even a spread shot. How is the stamina drain?" Aizawa asked, noting that Izuka was writing every thing down. That mean he didn't have to! He could just ask for a copy later.

"Huff...huff… the Super Laser, I call it Shining Superior. I can fire it for five seconds before collapsing. The accurate laser I call Sparkle Point, and I can shoot it fairly easily, but it uses double the stamina of my normal laser. Lastly, the spread shot is my Glitter Shot! That one is hard to fire and control… I can use it about five times, maybe six before I need some beauty sleep." Aoyama said, looking like he really wanted a nap. Izuka fished around in her pockets for a moment before finding a candy dispenser. She'd been given it by Recovery Girl and it was filled with special candies that helped restore energy. Izuka offered a couple to Aoyama, who took them with a smile and was able to drag himself to his feet.

Next up was Mina, whom looked very eager to get going, grinning widely as she hopped up and down waiting for Cementoss to fix the damage done by Aoyama and reconstruct the targets. When it was done and Aizawa gave her the go ahead, Mina stopped and closed her eyes. Aside from the trick with making her horns hard, she hadn't tried to use her upgraded powers… they felt different, like a switch at the core of her being just begging to be flipped. "Plus Ultra!" she grinned, flipping the switch. The change was instantaneous and unlike Aoyama, the difference was VERY obvious at first glance. Her pink skin darkened to the same shade of purple as was on her Hero Costume and her hair turned from pink to black.

"Whoa..." Kirishima mumbled, the rest of the class looking on with the same awestruck look.

"I didn't expect this!" Mina shouted, looking down at herself. "Did my eyes change too?" she asked, but Aizawa shook his head. "I wonder why Plus Ultra Mode changed my appearance."

"Well, your quirk is acid right? The unusual colouration of your skin and hair was due to your acid changing the pigmentation, so if Plus Ultra Mode alters the composition of your acid, it probably also alters how it affects the pigmentation." Izuka explained.

"Uh, can someone translate for the dumb people… mainly me?" Mina asked bashfully.

"Your acid makes you pink, so when you make it stronger, your pink turns purple." Tsuyu helpfully supplied.

"Cool. It gives me a kind of punk rock look! Though I can feel this form draining me slowly. Let's get the show on the road!" Mina cheered, running to attack the targets. Mina was always able to freely alter the viscosity and solubility of her acid, being able to produce liquid acid and even a gel-like acid, but Plus Ultra Mode increased the limits of what she could do. While the actual potency of the acid hadn't changed much, only marginally stronger than before, the things Mina could to with it were much more varied. Mina could produce acidic gases, which forced Aizawa to cancel her quirk (which cancelled Plus Ultra Mode and returned her colouration to normal) to prevent her from accidentally hurting people. Shoji had stood a bit too close and the gas had melted a portion of skin on one of his tentacles, but between his improved regeneration and Izuka's healing, he had recovered within the minute. When Mina got her quirk back, she demonstrated one more ability; an improvement of the gel-like form of acid which oozed out of her skin like a liquid but then crystallised into a solid substance that was tough enough to take a couple of fireballs tossed by Izuka. The crystallised acid didn't seem very potent (if it was too strong, it would have melted it's own solid form) but it did sting to touch it.

"Phew! That's tough!" Mina said, flopping to the ground. She was able to maintain her transformed state for about ten minutes, each use of her improved powers cutting that time by a few seconds, though it appeared making solid acids was more draining than the gas forms. Like with Aoyama, she was given some energy restoring candies and moved over to rest while her classmates kept going.

At that moment, Todoroki arrived, a new look of determination on his face. Katsuki sneered and turned away while Izuka waved happily. Aizawa simply stared at him; "Are you feeling better? What did Recovery Girl say?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't go to Recovery Girl. I decided some fresh air was what I needed." Todoroki said, bowing his head.

Aizawa-Sensei sighed, "Whatever you say." he said, before giving the boy a quick rundown on what had happened in his absence, which basically came down to him telling Todoroki he was more resistant to extreme temperatures and to go see Midoriya if he wanted to know about the others.

The next student to use Plus Ultra Mode was Tsuyu, and like Mina, it led to a transformation, though unlike Mina, it was much less welcome.

"Plus Ultra Mode, Kero!" Tsuyu announced, tapping into the power she'd felt form in her chest during the USJ incident. Her hair began to redden, becoming a shade of red so dark it was practically black as opposed to the very dark green it usually was. Also, yellow patterns began to form on her skin, like someone had attempted to paint symmetrical camouflage...in bright yellow.

"Another transformation! I wonder if the Evolution of some quirks can change Mutant or Emitter Types into Transformation Types?" Momo said as Tsuyu looked around, her usual neutral expression becoming one of anger and annoyance.

"Who cares, what can I kill." Tsuyu growled. Her voice was the same, but she sounded nothing like her usual self.

"W-Whoa! Tsuyu, what the heck? Are you feeling okay?" Izuka asked.

"Stop babbling and give me an enemy! I don't want to waste time on crappy concrete!" she snapped.

Aizawa scowled at her, "Asui, I don't know why you've suddenly had a personality shift, but you know we can't use real targets. We have no way what you can do in this form."

Tsuyu growled (though it sounded more like an aggressive croak) "Then I'll use you!" she yelled, her cheeks filling with a sickly green liquid which she spat at Aizawa in the form of a ball. Cementoss quickly raised a barrier of concrete to protect his colleague while Izuka used her Linked Quirk to erase Tsuyu's. Tsuyu's quirk was a Mutant Type normally, but like Momo had said, the Evolution had given her Transformation Type abilities, so Erasure worked. Tsuyu fell to the ground, her appearance returning to normal while Izuka winced, blood leaking from her eyes.

The class was in chaos, half of them running to examine Izuka while the others ran to Tsuyu, who was slowly getting up. Cementoss and Aizawa exchanged looks, before deciding to see to Izuka first. "Are you alright?" Aizawa asked, "Do you need Recovery Girl?" he felt bad that his quirk had caused pain to the girl. It had always caused him eye strain, but never on this level.

Izuka just nodded and smiled bravely, using a finger of pink flame to heal the damage. "Yeah, I'm okay. Linking may let me use the quirks of others, but my body doesn't automatically adapt to it. The strain must of popped a blood vessel in my eyes. It didn't blind me though, so I've got that going for me." she smiled, wiping away the blood with a handkerchief given by Ojiro. "How is Tsuyu?"

The Frog Girl was sitting up, her usual expression back in place, but with tears in her eyes and a quiver to her lip. "Momo, Izuka, Aizawa-Sensei, I'm so sorry I was rude to you. I'm very sorry I attacked you, Aizawa-Sensei. I have no idea what came over me, my thoughts suddenly became really vicious."

"It's okay. It does make me worry a bit though, what exactly is this stuff?" Momo wondered aloud, carefully scooping some of the green gunk into a test tube she created.

"Hey, I think I know." Kyoka said, "The hair colour and those marks made Tsuyu look like a Poison Dart Frog. My dad wanted one as a pet until he found out they were lethal. I bet this stuff is poison."

Cementoss frowned, "I know a bit about those. Their poison is lethal in high doses, but in low doses it can cause sickness and hallucinations. Perhaps having it inside her altered Asui's chemical balance and made her ultra aggressive?"

"Regardless, that is a dangerous form. Asui, you aren't in trouble for this incident, but I must forbid you from using it again until we have found a way to control it." Aizawa said, patting the upset girl's head.

"That's fine. I never want to use it again. The feeling of wanting to kill isn't very nice." Tsuyu said, regaining her composure.

After the incident with Tsuyu, Iida's Plus Ultra Mode was fairly uneventful… until he almost suffered a heart attack. His Plus Ultra Mode doubled the maximum power output of his engines, allowing him to shift all the way up to Sixth Gear instead of being stuck at Third. This meant his max speed was essentially doubled too, but as a consequence, his blood pumped much faster. When he tried to stop running straight from Sixth Gear, he suffered major chest pain as his blood was still flowing too fast. He had to start running again and slowly shift back down to at least third gear before he could safely stop. It was a useful power, but potentially dangerous, so Tenya promised to keep practicing with it. As things stood, each gear over third would double his stamina loss, so at Fourth Gear he used twice as much, Fifth Gear he used four times as much and at the Max Sixth Gear, he used eight times as much stamina. As a runner, he had stamina to spare, but he still didn't want to risk running out while at a high gear.

Ochako was next and her Plus Ultra Mode basically turned her Zero Gravity Quirk into Gravity Control. Once she touched something, she could not only make it weightless, but freely increase and decrease the weight of the object by affecting how much gravity effected it. She could even alter the direction that gravity worked on an object, allowing her to aim the things she floated. She did, however, discover that the Anti-Nausea effect of her Adaption wasn't limitless. She could effect roughly double the amount at once before she started getting nauseous and on top of the stamina drain, all the powers of her Plus Ultra Mode made her sick a lot faster. Still, Ochako was happy that she now had some ways to really defend herself, plus she could make herself float without getting sick now!

When it was Ojiro's turn, the class looked on with interest. They had no idea how Link Evolution would effect such a basic quirk as having a Tail, but Ojiro had alluded to being able to do some interesting things now. As Ojiro stepped forward, he looked to Izuka.

"Hey Midoriya, I've been meaning to ask. At the USJ, you linked with all of us yet you didn't get a tail like me, or engine legs like Iida. What's up with that?" he asked.

"Oh, Mutation Quirks work like Transformation Quirks for me. I have to activate it and my body will automatically grow the appropriate appendages. I'll tell you though, I don't like doing it. My body isn't really designed for it, so it hurts a lot and puts a lot of stress on my body, particularly my cardiovascular system. Removing the additional parts when the link breaks or I deactivate the quirk isn't very fun either..." Izuka said, a slightly green tinge to her complexion. Clearly this had been the subject of one of All for One's nastier experiments.

"Odd… Well, I sort of understand. My own new powers hurt a bit to use too." Ojiro explained before stretching his tail out behind him. "Plus Ultra Mode!" he declared, causing the hair on his tail to spike up a bit. The tail then suddenly started to thin out and lengthen as Ojiro grimaced, the blond fur slowly covering it until it became a long, almost cat or monkey like tail.

"This is what I call Limber Mode. I've been able to transform my tail a bit by manipulating the muscles inside it to make them thinner, thicker, longer or stronger." Ojiro explained, freely moving his longer tail. In Limber Mode, he could only use roughly 25% of the strength of his normal tail, but it was extraordinarily fast, striking targets faster than most people can blink, plus the thinner tail could stretch a bit, reaching up to ten feet in length if he pushed it. "Like with Midoriya though, it hurts. The only other muscle configuration I've figured out is just called Muscle Mode, where I push my tail muscles to their maximum." Ojiro said, grimacing again as his tail began to shorten and thicken back to it's original form, then thicken further, the muscles inflating similar to when All-Might entered his hero form. The new form wasn't much different in appearance from Ojiro's original tail, though it was noticeably more muscular. The tail suffered such a loss of dexterity and speed that it became useless for anything but hitting, but when it did hit, it struck with 300% times the power of Ojiro's original tail and was strong enough to utterly demolish Cementoss' targets.

"Impressive display of strength. Still, using these transformations hurts you, so check in with Recovery Girl later to ensure you aren't doing permanent damage to yourself. How is the stamina drain?" Aizawa asked.

"Only really noticeable when actually transforming. Once the transformation is done, it doesn't feel any different from normal, except Muscle Mode, but that's just because it weighs so much." Ojiro replied.

Aizawa hummed and Izuka wrote down everything as Kaminari took Ojiro's place. Compared to the others so far, Kaminari's Plus Ultra Mode was based more around improved control, allowing him to more efficiently shroud himself in electricity, as well as form it into lightning bolts that he could throw like a javelin. He could also absorb small amounts of electricity to slightly restore his dwindling stamina, and if he really concentrated, he could sense the flow of electricity around him, allowing Kaminari to detect electrical devices and cables

Kirishima's Plus Ultra Mode was just as simple, but did carry an interesting look. When pushing his Hardening to a higher level, his rough skin retained it's jagged appearance, but it was less like sharp rock and more like crystal, matching it's new diamond-level hardness. As the material was naturally transparent, any area that Kirishima used it would appear to be completely red as one could only see the blood directly beneath the skin. Kirishima didn't even flinch as his super hardened form took blows from Ojiro, Katsuki, Izuka and Sato, and when he held his hands straight, he could slice through concrete with ease, using his hardened hand like a blade. Kirishima was only able to use the Plus Ultra Form for five minutes due to the stamina drain and while he could still move while hardened, he was much slower and stiffer.

Koda's Plus Ultra Mode was hard to demonstrate at first. There was no noticeable difference in his control of animals or the volume of his voice, nor did he seem to have any transformative properties, so the Class spent a fair amount of time experimenting, until they came across the answer, as a result of Kaminari goofing off. While Koda had been trying to work out his Plus Ultra Mode, Kaminari had decided to try and shock Kirishima to see if his Super Hardening was weak to electricity, which resulted in Kirishima discovering he was partially insulated while in Plus Ultra Mode and Kaminari going over his increased Watt Limit, rendering him an idiot.

An idiot that Koda's quirk could control.

It seemed that in Plus Ultra Mode, Koda's quirk could control humans too, but only if they were weak-willed or mentally drained in some fashion. Kyoka found it hilarious that while under Koda's control, Kaminari mentally devolved into an ape-like state, incapable of speech or using his quirk. Strictly speaking, it wasn't a useful ability on it's own, but against weak willed villains or opponents that have been drained, it was a highly effective instant win move. Koda could only maintain the control for about ten minutes, whereupon Izuka had to help the shy boy sit down, fussing over him and giving him energy candies.

Last in his row was Sato. Like Ochako, his Plus Ultra Mode changed his quirk from a simple ability to a more advanced control power. Sato could now control the sugar he ingested to form protective shells around his internal organs, bones and muscles, offering a surprising amount of protection. However, like Kirishima, the protection slowed him down and if he applied too much of a Sugar Coating to a single area, he'd be unable to move it at all.

When it was Shoji's turn, things got...weird.

"Hmm, my arms feel strange." the tentacled boy said after activating Plus Ultra Mode, flexing his hands and stretching his additional limbs. "They feel… loose."

"Considering your quirk, I'd have thought Plus Ultra Mode would give you more limbs. I wonder what it really did." Tenya commented, walking around the larger boy and examining him for differences.

Shoji twitched, "It feels like… my arm is melting, but it doesn't hurt." he said and true enough, one of his tentacles was slowly melting, until finally, the whole limb fell to the ground with a wet splat. That set the class on a panic, with Izuka practically hyperventilating as she rushed to heal Shoji, only to find no wound. One of his right arms was missing, but there was no blood… it was almost like when he shape shifted his tentacles into other body parts. Shoji looked at his detached limb with curiosity, "It's fallen off, but I still feel it. Odd… hold on, maybe I can..." he put on a face of concentration and the limb twitched.

Before their eyes, the tentacle-like arm reshaped itself until it became humanoid, sprouting arms and legs of it's own. When it was done, a tiny baby-sized humanoid figure stood where the arm had fallen. It had crouched, hairless monkey like legs, a genderless torso, two odd, tentacle like arms and a little head with no mouth, two blank eyes and a tuft of silvery white hair that looked a bit like Shoji. The creature basically looked like a tiny, two armed genderless version of Shoji.

"Interesting." Shoji murmured, controlling the tiny creature as if it was still an attached arm. It had no mouth, so couldn't speak, but Shoji could see through its eyes if he concentrated and feel and hear what it felt and heard. He could even make its two arms transform like his own tentacles, though the clone couldn't make it's own clones. He carefully reported everything to Izuka, who wrote it down with the enthusiasm of a mad woman.

"Okay, Purple Mina was weird, Angry Tsuyu was scary, but this? This is just plain nuts." Kyoka commented, poking the clone with one of her jacks.

"Can you only make one?" Momo asked.

Shoji shrugged and proceeded to shed his three remaining tentacles, leaving him with only his primary arms. Each shed tentacle became another clone, but it was clear Shoji struggled to control them all and sort through the sensory information he got from them. As his stamina began to decline, he called his clones back, which jumped onto his primary arms and turned back into tentacles, leaving him like he was before. "Useful, but difficult." he said, accepting the energy candies from Izuka.

Aizawa just looked stunned, _"These kids… their powers have changed so much! If Link Evolution can do this much, then forget Heroes, these kids will be Super Heroes!"_ he thought.

Kyoka took her turn next and her Plus Ultra Mode was fairly standard with a few power boosts and an odd ability, which was now the norm for this class. Her Jacks were always stretchy and extendable, but now she could reach much further with them, extending them about twelve feet. Her hearing was also much improved, but the odd ability was her ability to mimic sound waves and alter the sound of her voice. She was able to accurately mimic Izuka, Momo and Aizawa with this power. "Awesome. It's not flashy like the others, but I can distract people with this and imitate the enemy to confuse them." Kyoka smirked, pleased with her power. The big and flashy Plus Ultra Modes wouldn't have suited her.

Sero's Plus Ultra Mode was also fairly simple, allowing him to expend energy to alter the kind of tape he shot. He could make his tape transparent, so it was hard to see and great for traps, or he could make it double sided. He could even do both, but it caused him some nasty cramps. He could also fire his tape much faster, and if he was willing to stomach the pain, Sero could widen and narrow the opening on his elbows, allowing him to make his tape wider or narrower as he saw fit.

Tokoyami's Dark Shadow didn't get any stronger, per say, but it did get more variety in it's powers. Normally, Dark Shadow was always connected to Tokoyami, but during Plus Ultra Mode, Tokoyami can use stamina (and a fair bit of pain) to allow Dark Shadow to detach from him and move around as an independent entity. The Independent Dark Shadow had no legs and looked like it was popping out of the ground, but despite being seperate, Tokoyami could control it. Dark Shadow, being a creature made of shadows turned physical, was able to freely melt into the shadows, hiding in others shadows without them noticing. It could also attack at range by firing small pieces of it's shadowy body, though each attack slowly reduced the creature's size until it had to return to Tokoyami. It seemed Dark Shadow couldn't add to it's body independently and could only do that when attached to Tokoyami.

Dark Shadow was thrilled at it's temporary independence and immediately began playing with the class, pulling pranks by hiding in people's shadows and shooting them in the back with it's new attack, which it shaped like feathers, similarly to Izuka's Phoenix Feathers.

Tokoyami was less amused and felt like the parent of a disobedient toddler, especially when he noticed Dark Shadow and Izuka trying to be sneaky as the latter fed his quirk some candies. After finally wrangling Dark Shadow back into Tokoyami, the Bird Boy promptly decided to find a dark corner to nap in while Todoroki took the stage.

The Dual Coloured Boy stood silently for a moment, his eyes closed in contemplation. A part of him knew that this moment was the turning point for him… if he could use his flames, he felt like he'd shake off the chains of Endeavor's influence. Shoto was disgusted with how much he had allowed Endeavor to control his life, even when Shoto rejected him, he was still living his life based around the man. But Izuka had told him; his body was HIS, his quirk was HIS! He wasn't half his mother and half his father, he was 100% Shoto Todoroki!

Ice gathered on his right arm as fire sprung to life on his left. Shoto welcomed the contrasting heat, opening his eyes with a sigh. He could feel the chains of Endeavor leaving his spirit, the words of his mother echoing in his ears; _"You don't want to be like your father, but you do want to be a Hero, right? That's fine, you're not bound by his blood. You decide who you want to become."_

Shoto felt the ghost of a smile on his lips and looked towards Izuka. She was smiling so happily, her eyes sparkling with pride. Pride for him. Beside her, Aizawa looked relieved, a sigh and a smile passing through his scarves.

"Shoto! You're using your fire! Good job!" Izuka cheered. She ran over to him so they could speak quietly, though Katsuki growled at their proximity. "Does that mean you've made a decision?"

The boy nodded, "Enji Todoroki is my father, Rei Todoroki is my mother and I have parts of both of them inside me, including their quirks. But I'm my own person; I want to become a Hero, I want to rise to the top. I haven't forgiven my father… I've just decided to forget about him. I'll use him for training just as he used me for his ambition, then I'll become the Number One Hero and surpass him and All-Might. Not because he wants me to and not to spite him but because I want to." he declared.

Izuka grinned, "Excellent! But you may need to settle for Number Three, or else you'll need to get through Kacchan and I! You're my friend, but I want the top spot too, so be ready Shoto, I'm going to give it my all!"

"You better. I'll be upset if you hold back after the scolding you gave me for half-assing! Now, do you think you can help me practice my fire until the Sports Festival? I want to keep it a secret from Endeavor until then." he asked.

"Sure! Got something flashy planned?"

Shoto smirked, "Does a giant ice hand with a flaming middle finger count as flashy?"

Izuka burst into laughter, giggling furiously at the mental image. Oh she hoped Shoto was serious! She could see Endeavor's face now; he'd probably pop a blood vessel!

"Get on with it, Icy Hot! Some of us have got better shit to do today!" Katsuki yelled, glaring angrily. Izuka rolled her eyes with a smile and ran over to kiss the boy, which never failed to improve her Kacchan's mood.

Still smiling, Todoroki silently entered Plus Ultra Mode and was amazed when he felt a rush of energy fill his body. He no longer felt heat only on his left and cold on his right, instead it alternated. With a look of amazement, he discovered that with effort, he could now create both fire and ice from both sides of his body. Deciding to test this, Todoroki shot a wave of ice from his left side and then immediately followed it up with a wave of fire from the same hand. He couldn't help but laugh; first Izuka helps him accept himself, now her quirk has caused his to truly blend together, even if it was only while in Plus Ultra Mode. Shoto carefully thought over how he felt each time he used an attack and noticed a strange feeling whenever he used fire on his right side or ice on his left… like his instincts were telling him to use each element the same way he would use the other. He followed his instincts and created a wall of ice that smoked a bit. Curiously, he touched it only to recoil… it had burned. Hot Ice… Shoto tried the same thing in reverse and shot a blue fireball from his right hand that froze the target on impact. Finally, Shoto tried to use Hot Ice, Hot Fire, Cold Ice and Cold Fire all at once, but instead shot a blast of water from his palms. He would have tried to repeat it, but his stamina was too low, so the boy instead sat down with a slightly bewildered smile.

"Awesome! Todoroki, that was amazing! You can use water now too!? And freaking Hot Ice and Cold Fire! That's just crazy!" Kirishima grinned.

"Isn't Water kind of an obvious power though? If he creates both ice and fire, then the ice he makes would be melted by the fire to make water, right?" Ochako pointed out.

Todoroki nodded, "Before, my ice and fire were limited to their respective side, so it was too cumbersome to create water, but with Plus Ultra Mode channelling both elements through my whole body, it's much easier." he said, deactivating the boost and going to relax with the other tired students. Izuka gave him a thumbs up, which he returned as Toru stood up to take his place.

When Toru activated Plus Ultra Mode, the whole class was suddenly grateful that Aizawa wanted them in Gym Clothes and not their hero costumes, as for the first time in years, Toru Hagakure became visible. Toru stared down at herself in amazement while the rest of the class looked just as awed. Toru was a cute girl with short chocolate brown hair and round eyes of the same colour. Her skin was very pale (likely as a result of not absorbing any sunlight) and her facial features were round and soft, sort of resembling Ochako but with Kyoka's face shape.

"Whoa! I'm visible! This is amazing! I've been invisible since I turned four!" Toru grinned, eagerly looking at her face in the reflection of Todoroki's leftover ice, at least until Momo created a proper mirror for her.

"Man, Toru you're cute!" Mina smiled, the other girls (and several boys) nodding in agreement.

"Thank you! You have no idea how hard it is to do my hair while invisible! Izuka, I can finally see myself again! I can show my mom and dad what I look like! Thank you so much!" Toru smiled tearfully, hugging Izuka tightly, much to the smaller girl's happiness.

"I'm glad my quirk was able to do something like this for you! How do you feel? Is the Stamina Cost high?" Izuka asked.

Toru shook her head; "I got a bit winded activating Plus Ultra Mode, but I don't feel any drain now. It's kind of weird though… I can sort of feel my invisibility. It's like a weird bubble in my chest." she said, subtly looking down her shirt to see if everything there was visible too.

Aizawa raised an eyebrow, "It looks like your Evolution alters the way your quirk manifests. How did your Invisibility work again?"

"Light Refraction. My skin refracted light around it to make my body invisible. That's why things inside me are invisible, like food in my mouth." Toru explained.

Cementoss scratched his chin, "Well, if the refraction was previously in your skin, having it convert to this "bubble" you mentioned might mean the refraction field is still there, just hidden within your body. Can you manipulate it?" he asked.

Toru tilted her head and concentrated for a moment, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she focused on the bubble in her chest. With a lot of effort, Toru found she could expand and shape the bubble, turning her invisible again, along with everything else within the bubble such as her clothes and a chunk of the ground. With some experimentation, she discovered she could make overs invisible too if they were inside the bubble, and she could freely move the bubble outside of herself, turning over things invisible and not herself, but she had to remain in contact with the bubble, or else it would burst and her Plus Ultra Mode would be forcibly ended. Still, since the bubble rendered everything within it invisible, Toru could use it to peep through walls by creating a sort of invisible window. It was a good ability for a stealthy heroine like Toru. Unfortunately, manipulating the bubble got more tiring as it got larger and Toru was forced to release Plus Ultra Mode and become Invisible again, though she didn't seem to mind… "I can be visible whenever I want now! Plus with my new powers, I can be a more helpful hero! Everyone, you can rely on me in the future!" she cheered.

Aizawa nodded with a smile, "Good. I'm glad to see you're fired up. Bakugou, you're up. Please try not to explode your classmates, no matter how much you want to." he said dryly, having noticed the death glares the boy sent at Todoroki.

"Yeah yeah. I figured out pretty much all my new abilities already." Katsuki grumbled, "First, I can freely control my sweat." he said, flicking his hand to make beads of sweat flick off, which then floated in mid air and followed wherever he pointed his finger. "I can also detonate it remotely." he snapped his fingers and the tiny beads of sweat exploded like flashy fire crackers, taking out a good chunk of Cementoss' targets. "If I push it, I can turn all my sweat into Nitroglycerin, not just the stuff from my hands. I don't even need to be touching it, which is how I blew the fuck out of that brain dead fuck at the USJ." Katsuki then kicked off his shoes and socks and leapt into the air, using explosions from the soles of his feet to hover and fly around. "All of that is tiring, but I'm a badass, so I can keep going for a long time." he looked to Izuka, "We can go flying together now too." he grinned, a more earnest and less predatory smile.

Izuka blushed and smiled bashfully, nodding.

"Oh man, first Todoroki and now Bakugou? The best guys in class just got even tougher! We've got no chance of keeping up!" Sero complained.

"You can do it! Keep working hard Sero!" Izuka cheered.

"Midoriya, it's nice and all, but save the pep talks for later. We've still got two more to test." Aizawa said, pointing to Mineta, "You're up."

"Right!" Mineta yelled, running forward. "This is the first test of my new resolve! Plus Ultra!" he declared. What followed was a rather embarrassing several minutes in which Mineta and the class tried to demonstrate and examine his new abilities while limiting how often they referred to his quirk as "Mineta's balls."

Ultimately, Aoyama resolved the problem by referring to them as orbs.

While using Plus Ultra Mode, Mineta could shrivel and inflate his orbs to alter their size after they were plucked, so long as he is touching them. If he wanted, he could change their composition, making them become gooey and gel-like, allowing Mineta to easily mould the orbs into different shapes, which he decided to use to create dark spots in the shadows that would trap whoever stood on them, however, once the shape had been changed, Mineta couldn't alter their size any more for some reason. Mineta's last new ability was "Grape Reversal", which allowed him to freely change any of his orbs from purple to green. The Green Orbs had the same properties, but reversed, so they stuck to Mineta and everyone else bounced off them, and Mineta could freely swap the colour of his orbs back and forth so long as he was in contact. These powers combined into Mineta creating a trampoline for the class by inflating a green orb to massive size and flattening it between some of Cementoss' blocks. Since Mineta's Plus Ultra Mode didn't actually change his appearance, he decided that when he used it, he'd turn the orbs on his head green to symbolise the change.

"With powers like that, you could became a fairly good capture hero. I hope that resolve of yours lasts until you rejoin our class." Aizawa said, a small smirk. He hadn't liked Mineta very much at first due to his perversions, but seeing the boy genuinely trying to improve had made Aizawa think better of him. Mineta practically glowed under the praise, which he even got from some of the girls.

The last one to try their new powers was Momo, whose new abilities all revolved around her quirk's new intelligence. Aside from storing knowledge and giving it back to Momo on request, the intelligent quirk was linked to Momo's eyes and skin, and the moment Momo looked at something or touched something with her Plus Ultra active, her quirk would begin using it's own intelligence to logically break down how the object was constructed based on the feel, appearance and comparison to other things Momo already knew the structure off, allowing Momo to essentially learn new things just by examining an object and feeling it. Momo also gained a secondary power; if she was in danger while Plus Ultra was activated, her quirk could react on it's own, producing a shield or something to force Momo to move in order to avoid attacks, though doing this left Momo feeling both exhausted and more than a little sick, as control of her quirk was momentarily wrestled away from her.

Aizawa smiled as Momo returned to the group, all of them resting for the coming test. Izuka's Link Evolution didn't appear to actually power up most of their quirks, but rather, it adapted their bodies and control, allowing the others to use more varied powers. It was more about utility than strength, which Aizawa could respect. Still, most of their more useful powers did drain their stamina something awful.

He turned to the class, "Alright, you've all done well. Your Plus Ultra Modes are all quite varied and powerful, but now it's time to see how well you use them. It's time for the Quirk Apprehension Test: Plus Ultra Edition!"


	14. Declaration of War

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 14: Declaration of War**

Class 1-A chattered excitedly as Aizawa-Sensei led them to the P.E grounds where they had performed the Quirk Apprehension Test on their very first day. Some had been pleased by their performances while others were annoyed that their quirks weren't the sort to assist them in physical challenges. A few, such as Toru and Kirishima doubted that their new powers would really help much in this case, while others feared the stamina drain of Plus Ultra Mode would cause more trouble than their improved quirks could make up for, but since they were all certain they wouldn't be a threat of expulsion this time around, the class was more relaxed. As soon as they arrived, Aizawa set up the results screen from last time, which still displayed all their old times and their class ranking:

1\. Izuka Midoriya

2\. Momo Yaoyorozu

3\. Shoto Todoroki

4\. Katsuki Bakugou

5\. Tenya Iida

6\. Fumikage Tokoyami

7\. Mezo Shoji

8\. Mashirao Ojiro

9\. Eijiro Kirishima

10\. Mina Ashido

11\. Ochako Uraraka

12\. Koji Koda

13\. Rikido Sato

14\. Tsuyu Asui

15\. Yuga Aoyama

16\. Hanta Sero

17\. Denki Kaminari

18\. Kyoka Jiro

19\. Toru Hagakure

20\. Minoru Mineta

"Let's get started. The rules for this test will be the same as the first; use your quirks and Plus Ultra Modes freely. You can't use your quirk to sabotage others or disguise your cheating. If I catch you, it'll be automatic bottom ranking for you." Aizawa warned, before turning to Izuka, "Midoriya, you'll be participating too, regardless of not evolving yourself. Now, to get you all fired up and working hard, I've got a little reward scheme for this test, and naturally, punishment too.

The Class gulped as Aizawa pointed to the results board: "If your score in an event is higher than last time, the new result will appear in green. If it's lower, it'll appear red. Rewards and Punishment will be issued based on your final ranking. Now, because of your recklessness at the USJ, you have a lifetime of detention, Midoriya. The rest of you also have a week of detention for using your blood to heal me earlier. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful, but it was an unnecessary gesture that could have led to health problems for you. However, those detentions will help me here." Aizawa grinned, "Every position you rise in the leaderboard, I'll knock a day of detention off. If you rise more than five positions, I'll put an extra 10,000 yen in your Hero Gear Budget for each rank over five that you rise. If you go down a rank, I'll add a day of detention too. Whoever is at the bottom of the league will be joining Midoriya with her life time of detention." Aizawa's grin turned predatory, "You'll need to work hard! Midoriya, since you were at the top already, if you maintain the top spot, I'll knock your detentions down to just a week." he wasn't willing to let her off completely… despite knowing of her Quirk before hand, her death had terrified the man.

The Class looked determined, especially Izuka and Minoru, who were at the top and bottom of the leaderboard respectively.

As before, they started with the 50-Metre Dash, and the improvements were apparent from the very beginning. Without his stomach hurting, Aoyama was able to rocket across the finish line in four seconds, beating Mina who had previously beaten him. Mina was a bit faster, but only shaved a few points of a second from her time. Other than Aoyama, the only noticeable improvements were from Iida, Uraraka, Ojiro, Shoji, Todoroki and Bakugou. Iida uses his Plus Ultra Mode to absolutely blitz across the field, narrowly failing to beat Izuka's record of 2.01 seconds, but managing to outdo his old record by reaching 2.34 seconds. Personally, Izuka thought that if the track had been long enough for Iida to shift all the way to sixth gear, he'd have wiped the floor with her, but at only fourth gear, her lighter and smaller body gave her a slight advantage over the muscular and somewhat blocky Iida. Ochako was another person to obliterate her old score, going from 7.15 to 4.55 by making herself weightless then shifting the effect of gravity on herself to make her rocket across the track. Ojiro shaved a second off his time, resulting in 4.49 seconds by continuously (and painfully) switching his tail between Limber and Muscle Mode. His Muscle mode tail was able to launch him further and his Limber tail made him lighter and more aerodynamic as he soared through the air. Still, it was painful to transform his tail every half second. Shoji lowered his time fractionally, by shedding all his arms, making him lighter, plus without the webbing getting in the way, he didn't experience much wind resistance. Todoroki improved his time by icing the floor and using his fire to propel himself, giving him a good score of 3.56. Katsuki, determined to beat Todoroki, used his newly reinforced arms to launch a much bigger explosion than last time, coming third in the test with a time of 3.01 seconds, only a second behind Izuka's.

Determined not to fall behind, Izuka pushed herself a little, but while remaining in safe limits, she was only able to shave 0.01 seconds from her score, giving her an even 2 seconds. It was still First Place, but compared to the others, the girl was a bit frustrated with her growth. Still, it had only been a week since school started; she'd be patient and grow stronger.

The tests continued in that vein. Izuka managed to match or beat her previous scores, but usually only by a tiny margin. Those whose quirks didn't evolve in a helpful way, or those that didn't have quirks that improved their physicality in the first place found that their scores were all a bit better, but not by much compared to those who's quirks were suited to the test.

In Grip Strength, Ojiro used his Muscle Tail to reach second place, outstripping Sato and Izuka but falling just short of Shoji, who was still monstrously strong. Kirishima also had a marked improvement, as while his improved hardness didn't affect his strength, it did allow him to exert more pressure when tensing his muscles, so a grip test was a piece of cake for him, achieving fourth. In Repeated Side Steps, only Ochako had any real improvement, constantly shifting gravity to make her bounce back and forth over the line. She managed fifth place in the class before the Stamina Drain and nausea left her unable to continue.

The Softball Pitch had the most improvement among the class; Aoyama used his Super Charged Laser to fire the ball, earning him fourth place in the class behind Ochako's Infinity, Izuka's 856.3 Metres and Kacchan's improved score, which had gotten him second place. Katsuki had been ecstatic to beat Izuka's score; he rubbed the ball over his sweat glands and after the initial explosive launch, Katsuki would remotely trigger another explosion on the ball, giving it four boosts before there wasn't enough sweat left on the ball. It scored him 1104.7 metres and a congratulations kiss from Izuka. Ojiro smacked the ball with his Muscle Tail, while Kirishima used his increased hardness (and the resultant weight) to pour more momentum into the ball and toss if further. Sero attached the ball to some of his tape and shot it further, whilst last time he'd just thrown in. In a similar fashion, Jiro stabbed one of her jacks into the ball and spun it like a sling before letting the ball fly off and into the distance. Shoji sort of cheated, not throwing the ball at all but instead giving it to a mini-clone and having it run away with the ball. Aizawa disapproved, but since the only rule was that the thrower couldn't leave the circle, he decided to give Shoji fifth place with the argument that technically a part of him was outside the circle, so it was sort of a grey area. Tokoyami had originally planned to use the same trick but with Dark Shadow, but seeing as Aizawa wouldn't allow it again, he opted for Plan B: having Dark Shadow lob the ball and then shoot it with it's shadow feathers to make it go further. It got him sixth place. Todoroki once again used his fire to improve his score, but it wasn't enough to come close to the other more amazing scores, since he could only shot his fire like a flamethrower; good for propelling himself, but not so much for launching things.

The Standing Long Jump was the last event with a large number of improvements. Aoyama shot himself further with his improved laser, Uraraka could float for longer so scored a much better score, actually tying with Izuka with an Infinity Score since she could float for longer and further than Aizawa was willing to test for, plus since she wasn't using Plus Ultra Mode, her nausea was negligible. Ojiro leapt with the same trick as he used in the dash, while Tokoyami sort of copied him by having Dark Shadow launch him, fire shadow arrows backwards to propel him further and once he'd lost too much height, he had Dark Shadow shift to his front and stretch out in front of him as far as possible before digging into the ground and pulling Tokoyami to him. It got him the fourth best score, even beating Tsuyu, who congratulated the Bird Boy and petted the mewling Dark Shadow. Todoroki improved his score with a fire booster, this time using Plus Ultra to use fire from both sides to make his jump more stable (using one hand in the dash had made him wobble on the ice, his momentary loss of balance costing him a few fractions of a second). Katsuki was the last majorly improved score as he used his explosions from both his hands and feet to boost him further and for longer. He'd have gotten the third Infinity Score, but his stamina gave out before Aizawa got bored.

The final three events were as anticlimactic as last time as the class was tired, even more so than before since most had used their Plus Ultra Modes which drained their stamina further. Only Shoji improved in the Sit Ups, shedding his tentacles to lighten his upper body and make the sit ups easier. He did something similar in the Endurance Run, as he discovered that the Stamina Drain of the Plus Ultra Mode only applied when shedding his tentacles and when controlling his clones. If he left the clones to stand still, he could run much easier, unencumbered by the weight of the extra arms. Todoroki also did better, mimicking his performance from the dash. His fire meant he didn't have to exert any energy running and simply had to ice the ground in front of him and shot fire backwards to propel himself. He eventually got tired, so he wasn't able to get an Infinity score like Momo and her scooter. Last was Pull-Ups, which was dominated by Ojiro and Uraraka, the former using his Muscle Tail again and the latter making herself weightless and easily moving herself up and down the bar.

To Izuka's pleasure, she found herself doing better in these three trials, managing second place in the Endurance Run, retaining her first place position in the Pull-Ups and actually managing to surpass Shoji to first place in the sit ups, though Izuka attributed that to the constant use of Plus Ultra Mode draining Shoji's monstrous stamina. Over all, Izuka had maintained at least a top three position in each test.

When the tests were completed, Aizawa displayed the finalised class rankings, a smirk on his face as he did so:

1\. Izuka Midoriya

2\. Katsuki Bakugou

3\. Shoto Todoroki

4\. Momo Yaoyorozu

5\. Tenya Iida

6\. Mashirao Ojiro

7\. Fumikage Tokoyami

8\. Ochako Uraraka

9\. Mezo Shoji

10\. Eijiro Kirishima

11\. Mina Ashido

12\. Yuga Aoyama

13\. Tsuyu Asui

14\. Rikido Sato

15\. Hanta Sero

16\. Koji Koda

17\. Kyoka Jiro

18\. Denki Kaminari

19\. Toru Hagakure

20\. Minoru Mineta

The Class split between cheers and grumbles. Roughly half had risen a few ranks, while the other half had maintained or dropped rank. Izuka remained at the top, which she was thankful for; a life time of detention could go on forever for her, being immortal and all. Minoru was less happy about getting last place, but looked at Aizawa with hope, expecting the "It was a lie" trick again.

Aizawa just smirked, "It wasn't a lie. Those of you who rose a rank will have your detention lessened, those who lost a rank will have your detention increased. Midoriya, congratulations on maintaining the Number One Position, as promised, your detention is now a week. Mineta..."

The Grape Boy gulped, "Crap… lifetime detention?"

Their teacher snorted, "I said you'd be joining Midoriya, so since she only has a week, so do you. Consider it my going away present for when you transfer to General Education. And you better keep your promise and work your way back to the Hero Program, or I'll reconsider." he said, trying to ignore the fuzzy feeling in his chest as Izuka and Mineta looked at him like he was a saint. "As for the rest of you; for those that rose a rank; congratulations, you worked hard and did well. For those who fell in the rankings, don't become discouraged. You were faced with a challenge that didn't suit you, or were up against people whose abilities far outstripped yours, yet you still persisted and did your best. In the field, Heroes will often find themselves outmanoeuvred or outgunned and in those instances, all you can do is try your best and keep going until you succeed or help arrives. However… each of you has gone beyond your limits today; well done."

A wave of tired cheers echoed across the field as the class celebrated, each feeling proud of themselves. Despite many going down in ranks, not a single student got a lower score than the first test; all were either the same or a bit higher. Aizawa-Sensei dismissed them to the changing rooms to dress and wind down for a bit they came back to the Classroom for the first of their detentions. As they were leaving the P.E Grounds, Katsuki waited until Izuka was out of sight before turning to Todoroki and grabbing his wrist.

"Hold it, Half n Half, we've got shit to talk about." he snarled.

Todoroki looked at him coldly, but nodded and followed the Explosive Boy to the area behind Gym Gamma. As soon as they were both out of sight, Katsuki's hands flew to Shoto's collar, a vicious snarl on his face. "What the fuck was with you and Deku!? You think I missed you being all buddy buddy, huh!?"

"If this is another Macho Boyfriend thing, then save your breath." Todoroki said, slapping Katsuki's hands away. "Nothing happened, Bakugou. I apologised for the USJ and we talked for a bit. Quit the jealousy routine; I'm not impressed or intimidated."

"I don't give a fuck how you feel! Let me guess, you went crying and begging for forgiveness from Izuchan, because the fucking softy that she is, she'd give it even though you sure as shit don't deserve it!"

"Tch, you think I don't know that? I didn't apologise to get forgiveness, I did it because it was the right thing to do, and she forgave me because she's a good person. How someone like her ended up with someone like you… I've seen that kind of relationship before; the aggressive guy and the timid girl…" the Dual haired boy thought of his parents, "It didn't end well."

Katsuki threw a punch, purposely missing Shoto's face by mere millimetres and slamming into the wall with a loud thud, "If you ever… EVER insinuate that I would hurt her, I will kill you." he said, his voice not rising above a quiet mutter but the hatred in it screamed louder than anything Shoto had ever heard. "Do you want to know why I fucking despise you, Icy Hot? It's because you decided that your little pussy pledge meant more than Izuka's life. You let her fucking die because you have some sort of fucking sob story about your prick of a father and then you had the fucking nerve to turn around and use your fire today… well, too little too late Cocksucker. When the Sports Festival comes around, you better fucking get to the third round and last until I get to face you, because I swear I'm going to kick your ass. Izuka can forgive you; I can't, and I won't."

With that, Katsuki pushed himself away and turned to walk away, before Shoto's voice stopped him in his tracks; "You know what, you're right. You have every right to hate me for picking my pledge over Izuka's life. But when it comes down to it, Izuka did forgive me and chose to help me with my problems, because she's a hero while you're a thug. I'll face you in the Sports Festival, Bakugou, and when I win, It'll be me that will compete with Izuka for the rank of Number One Hero, while you're left in our dust. With your attitude, it'll be easy to steal her from you when you inevitably go too far and upset her. So hate me all you like, Bakugou, I'll still be a Hero."

Katsuki's hateful expression twisted into a nearly demonic grin, "Got some real fire after all, Cocksucker. I'll enjoy stamping it out."

And like that, without Izuka even being aware of it, a major rivalry flared up between the boy she loved and had devoted himself to her, and the boy that had realised his first crush was on her.

Class 1-A was a bit subdued when they arrived at their class, not excited for their first detentions with Aizawa-Sensei. He was harsh on them in normal classes, how bad would he be in a detention, something that was supposed to be punishment? They shuffled into class and took their seats, some of them feeling sore from the training and others just tired from a long day. They really hoped Aizawa wasn't going to make them do anything physical, they were just too tired. When they were all seated, Aizawa finally wandered into the room with his usual tired look.

"Good, you're all here. Now, you'll be spending your detentions on a special course; understanding the effects of Heroes in Children's media. Heroes are a very popular theme for kid's cartoons and even among teenagers and young adults, who have their own hero-themed animations, and like all media, it can affect the youth of the nation. So, to get an understanding of this, you'll all be watching this." Aizawa showed a case for an anime show; "Gem Knights: Heroes of the Diamond", a show aimed at teenagers that was based on the old Super Sentai shows from before the Quirk Era. It depicted the heroes of the Diamond Hero Agency, collectively called the Gem Knights, whose Quirks revolved around a special gemstone that was embedded in their bodies and gave them control over the elements. It was actually Izuka and Katsuki's favourite show; Katsuki liked Ruby Knight, who controlled fire while Izuka liked the Emerald Knightess, who controlled plants.

"Our detention is watching anime?" Kirishima asked, a disbelieving smile creeping onto his face.

"Do we need to take notes or write a report?" Iida asked.

"Nah." Aizawa said, setting up the show to play on the board, "You can if you want, but I don't have the time to read them. Incidentally, I also can't really be bothered to go down to the record office and update your records with these detentions. Guess we'll have to keep this between us and hope you learn your lesson, hmm?"

The class smirked and put on a show of looking sad, disappointed or ashamed of themselves. Shota Aizawa was a hard teacher and tough on his classes, but let no one say he didn't have a heart. Class 1-A decided they loved the grumpy man.

After watching a few episodes of the anime and another show of pretending like they were being genuinely punished, the class went home. Each of them slept exceptionally well that night after discussing the dorms with their parents and guardians.

The next day, classes were back on and all the students from every course were back in the building. Izuka was ecstatic to hear that everyone in Class 1-A had agreed to move into the Dorms after the Sports Festival and received approval from their parents. Shoto quietly told Izuka that it had been hard going convincing Endeavor, who didn't like the idea of people thinking he couldn't protect his own son, but right at the best moment, All-Might had called and whatever he said to Endeavor had pissed the Fiery Hero off enough that he allowed Shoto to move to the dorms just to get him to leave while Endeavor raged. Izuka giggled; she confessed that she'd told her dad what Shoto told her, as she was worried for him and apparently All-Might had decided to say something to the Number Two Hero.

The normal routine of standard classes had been boring in their first week, but after the excitement of the USJ, they welcomed it as a bit of calm normalcy. The teachers were kind, but didn't let up on them, pushing them just as hard as always, not pitying the students at all; they were young heroes after all, they'd need to face villains eventually! Plus, the teachers used the tough lessons to keep the class busy and keep them from thinking about their afternoon class, which would be their second attempt at the USJ Rescue Trial.

After a tough morning, Class 1-A was preparing for lunch, when they heard a lot of voices and people moving around right outside their door. Ochako opened it curiously and almost immediate recoiled. "Whoa..." she breathed. Izuka and Tenya moved behind her and saw what had shocked her; pretty much every student their age, as well as a few older ones were all gathered outside Class 1-A, chattering and craning their necks to get a look at the hero class.

"What's going on!?" Ochako yelled in surprise.

Mineta looked nervous, "No way out! What're they here for?"

"Scoping out the competition. We're the kids that survived the villain attack and helped All-Might drive them off. They probably wanted to get a look before the Sports Festival." Katsuki said, moving to the front of the group before turning to the gathered crowd, "This isn't a fucking zoo. Out of the way, you damn extras!"

Tenya gasped, "Can we not resort to calling our fellow students "Extras"! It is demeaning to them!"

"Kacchan, that was really rude! Please apologise!" Izuka scolded, pouting a bit at her boyfriend's coarse words.

Before Katsuki could reply, a tall figure appeared at the back of the crowd of students and slowly reached the front, the students in front of him dodging away with fearful looks. The boy was tall, but still clearly a First Year Student, his purple hair sticking up in every direction and his similarly coloured eyes drooping with dark bags underneath. "I wanted to see for myself, but I guess it's true; the Hero Course has some pretty rotten people. Are all the kids in your class like this one?" the boy said, looking tiredly at Izuka. "Gotta say, I'm a little disillusioned if you're what they're offering."

Izuka sighed, bowing her head to the crowd, "I apologise for Kacchan. He's not a bad person, he's just very competitive. My name is Izuka Midoriya, I'm the Vice President for Class 1-A."

The boy raised an eyebrow, "Oh ho, maybe I spoke too soon. Midoriya, the girl from the Moncalama Incident, right? For a famous kid, I don't see you flaunting it much. I'm Hitoshi Shinso from Class 1-C, the General Education Department." he offered his hand, which Izuka took with a small smile, which made Katsuki growl.

"Nice to meet you, Shinso." Izuka smiled, elbowing Katsuki to make him stop growling.

Shinso noticed, but kept his usual, zombie-like expression. "You know Midoriya, a lot of us in General Education and even Support and Management only got stuck there because we didn't make the Hero Course. Depending on the results of the Sports Festival, they might consider transferring us up to the Hero Course and naturally, the reverse is possible." his eyes flicked to Katsuki, "You Hero kids could get dragged down to our level. You're alright Midoriya; with fame and power like yours, you could be running around the school like a queen, but you seem a decent girl, but for people like Mr. Extra over here… this'll be the perfect chance to knock them off their pedestals. I suppose you can consider this, our Declaration of War."

Izuka and her friends gulped, all thinking the same thing; this guy was pretty daring!

At that moment, another boy pushed his way to the front; a muscular silver-haired boy with strange flare-like skin around his eyes. "Hey! I'm from Class 1-B next door!" he yelled, showing his shark-like teeth. "We heard you guys fought some villains and we came to hear more, but all I'm seeing is this Arrogant Bastard!"

Izuka sweat-dropped, "Uh, I'm sorry for Kacch-"

"I don't care! If he ain't apologising himself, then I don't care! You guys better not make fools out of the Hero Course! We're all working hard, not just you guys!" the boy yelled.

Katsuki kept a blank expression and approached the crowd, shoving them aside with ease. Kirishima called out to him; "Wait you jerk! What're you doing! Thanks to you, the whole school freaking hates us!"

Katsuki snorted, "Like I care… I'm heading for the top. I don't need to worry about the people I step on to get there. Besides..." he looked back to Izuka and smiled a bit, "The only person I care about will be climbing up right beside me, so the rest can go die."

Izuka blushed, that was pretty sweet coming from Katsuki.

Kirishima apparently thought so too; "So straightforward! He's a man among men!"

"Aiming for the top… he's not wrong. We all have the same goal." Tokoyami added.

Kaminari looked worried, "You guys are letting Bakugou off too easily… he's just won us a ton of enemies! The Sports Festival just got tougher."

Izuka looked back at her class, each of them wanting to be heroes and working hard towards that goal. Tenya wanted to be like his Hero Brother, Ochako wanted to support her family, Shoto wanted to become a Hero like his mother told him he could and Izuka wanted to become a symbol of peace, just like her father. All of them were aiming for the top, but many others were too; Class 1-B, those who just missed the Hero Course and those that simply had something to prove.

Izuka turned to Shinso; "Shinso, are you aiming for the Hero Course?"

The boy nodded. "Then good luck. I'm going to give it my all at the festival and so will all of my classmates; come at us with everything you've got! I hope to see you join our class!" she politely excused herself and walked past Shinso, stopping for a moment; "I don't think it matters what class you're in; if you truly want to be a Hero, you can do it. I'll be cheering you on!" she finished, before running off to find her wayward boyfriend.

Shinso watched her leave, quirking his eyebrow and smirking a bit. Truthfully, he was curious about the girl and a tiny bit jealous of her. Shinso had once had an uncle with a quirk just like his, but that Uncle had disappeared one day and the next anyone heard of him, it was on the list of All for One's victims in the aftermath of the villain's defeat. Opinions on Izuka were torn in Shinso's family; his grandfather hated that a frail little girl like her survived while his son died, while Shinso's father was simply glad that at least someone had survived the monster. Shinso had decided to wait until he met the girl for himself before forming an opinion and now, he could honestly say he found her interesting and was glad she had survived. Still, Hitoshi wanted to defeat her. He looked forward to the chance.

Later, after a somewhat hectic lunch period, Class 1-A returned to class, ready to face the music. It was time for the Rescue Trial and the return to the USJ.


	15. Resolve of a Rescuer

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 15: Resolve of a Rescuer**

Shota Aizawa felt a bit of sympathy for his class as they waited for him to finish the afternoon Homeroom. When he was done, they'd be going to the Unforeseen Situations Joint, or USJ to complete the first of their Rescue Trials. Many of them, including Izuka, had been excited the first time around as they wanted to become Rescue Heroes, so training like this was crucial for them. But after the attack by the League of Villains and the death of Izuka, many were more than a little apprehensive about going back there, to see the spot where a classmate was literally tortured and killed. The fact that Izuka was still alive and healthy wasn't enough to shake those feelings from the rest of Class 1-A.

Finally, Homeroom ended and Aizawa began the class. "Okay students, you know what time it is and what we'll be doing. Before we head to the USJ, I have some important things to tell you. First, the security at the USJ and the rest of the school's facilities have been massively upgraded. Special Sensors have been developed by the Support Course that are tuned to DNA signature, specifically the DNA of Shigaraki and Kurogiri. If either appear anywhere on school grounds, the whole place will go into lock-down, the students will be evacuated and every hero in the city will come running."

"Unless the sensors are jammed again..." Kaminari said bitterly. He didn't display it like some of his classmates, but he had also felt guilt over the USJ attack as he hadn't been able to use his quirk to undo the jamming.

"I can assure you, that won't happen." Aizawa said, not unkindly, "Power Loader has completely reworked out alert system. Now, on top of the normal alert system, we have a computerised check system. Every five seconds, every sensor and electrical system sends a signal to the school's central computer. If any are jammed, the signal can't be sent and so the school is still alerted. There are at least nine other fail-safes, but truthfully, that was the only one I understood." their teacher admitted. "In addition, we will have five teachers with us today, including myself."

"Five? Who are they?" Mina asked.

"Myself, All-Might, Thirteen, Power Loader and Ingenium." Aizawa stated.

Iida immediately perked up, "My brother!? He is truly coming to assist!?"

Aizawa nodded, "Yes. We'll be dividing you into five teams of four for the training, so we have one teacher for each team. Iida, Ingenium won't be teaching yours to ensure there is no bias. Likewise, Midoriya, All-Might won't be teaching you for this."

The girl nodded. She was among the only students in class not bothered by going back to the USJ. She hoped she'd get to be in Thirteen's or Ingenium's group as they were great rescue oriented heroes! Aizawa held up a piece of paper, "I'll be assigning your teams now. Team A, you are Aoyama, Kaminari, Sero and Mineta. Team B, you are Ashido, Kirishima, Tokoyami and Yaoyorozu. Team C, you are Asui, Koda, Todoroki and Hagakure. Team D, you are Iida, Sato, Shoji and Bakugou. Team E, you are Uraraka, Ojiro, Jiro and Midoriya."

Team A looked a bit annoyed; they were a motley crew of strong and strange personalities. Team B was fairly happy with their group; Ashido and Kirishima knew each other from Middle School and both Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami were the kind that could work with almost anyone. Team C was… unconventional to say the least; Koda and Todoroki didn't really talk, Toru didn't really STOP talking and Tsuyu just said whatever she wanted. Team D was going to be an explosive group no matter what with Katsuki as a member, but pairing him up with the serious and devoted Iida and Shoji was bound to cause fireworks. Sato looked desperately to Izuka, who just smiled sympathetically and made a prayer motion with her hands. Team E was another of the more happy teams, as Ochako was thrilled to be with one of her best friends, Jiro was happy to have three serious comrades and Ojiro was looking forward to seeing the three girls in action. Izuka was happy regardless of what team she was on, though she was happier that two of her comrades had great rescue quirks.

With their teams assigned, Aizawa dismissed them to change into their battle gear. Izuka's costume had been destroyed when Tomura turned her to dust, so while she waited for the Support Course to be done recreating it (with a few modifications), Izuka just wore her Gym Uniform, though she was upset over the loss of her mother's gift; the choker and pendant. Inko had assured her daughter that it was alright, but Izuka still hated that she'd lost it to Tomura.

The Bus Ride to the USJ was much more tame than last time and they were all near silent, which Aizawa would have welcomed if it wasn't so ominous. He noticed more than one student looking at Izuka whenever she wasn't paying attention. She was muttering to herself and writing in her notebook, Katsuki beside her with an arm draped lazily over her shoulder. Todoroki didn't look happy about that but he said nothing, choosing to look anywhere but at the blond boy.

Finally the silence was broken by Tsuyu; "Hey Izuka, you mutter a lot." she commented.

Izuka looked up with a blush, "Oh, was I? Sorry, it's a habit."

"It's not a bad thing." Tsuyu said, "I just noticed it more today. You do it in class a lot."

"Yeah, it's a habit I've always had. When I get into what I'm writing or thinking about, some of it tends to slip out and I mumble. Funnily enough, it's a habit I could never break, even with the villains." Izuka said nonchalantly. The class froze for a moment; Izuka had told them about how her quirk had made a sort of mental protection for her, but they still found it odd how cavalier she was about her kidnapping and torture.

"Did…. Did you want to talk about it?" Kirishima asks carefully. The class gives him death glares, as if he'd said something insensitive, but Izuka just smiles sweetly.

"That's kind of you, Eiji. Truth be told, I'm really not that upset about it. If it hadn't happened, I wouldn't have All-Might for my dad and I probably wouldn't be here with all of you. It wasn't fun at the time, but I'm glad it happened if it brought me to all of you." Izuka said cheerfully. The class looked at her with awe again and Aizawa had to suppress a sigh; Izuka was a sweet girl, but she cared far too much about others and nowhere near enough about herself. Thank god she had a class of overprotective big brothers and sisters to look out for her.

Izuka's expression turned odd for a moment as she looked out the window; "You know, Tomura hated my mumbling. If he heard me do it, he'd take one of my fingers. He was strange like that… even back then when he was just a teenager, he didn't know how to handle problems without using violence. But then afterwards, if he hurt me when he didn't want to, he seemed… sad? Apologetic even? I think he saw me as his pet or toy that he occasionally felt bad for abusing."

There was a strange lilt to her words, almost like fond nostalgia, which thoroughly confused her classmates. "You almost sound like you liked him." Tokoyami pointed out.

Izuka shrugged, "I guess I sort of did. You could call it a kind of Stockholm Syndrome I suppose. I hated All for One… he was an unrepentant monster, but Tomura and Kurogiri? They were different. They did what All for One told them, but they didn't seem evil to me. Kurogiri was always… sad. He was the first person to kill me, back before I even knew about my quirk. All for One wanted Tomura to decay my body, but Kurogiri stopped him and shot me instead. I could see it in his eyes… he was sorry. As for Tomura, he was raised by All for One. He's basically a kid that was abused for years and was then taught that he should be able to hurt others at his leisure. If things had been different… I bet Tomura could have been a great hero. His games weren't all torture, you know. He liked video games and card games, and sometimes he'd watch a movie or an anime and would make me watch with him. He'd be hugging me like I was a stuffed toy, because I was the only thing he could touch that would never permanently leave him."

Many in the class looked disturbed at the image and the sympathetic tone Izuka used when referring to the two villains. "Midoriya, you can't seriously think those two are okay, right?" Kaminari asked.

"Not a chance!" Izuka suddenly snapped, "Kurogiri is a criminal and needs to be brought to justice. The people he kidnapped were murdered and he knew they would be. As for Tomura..." she hesitated before continuing, "He needs to be brought down hard. He's just a kid on the inside and has grown up twisted; he needs serious psychiatric help and proper punishment for his actions. He needs to be made to face the facts; that life isn't a cruel game that he can abuse. If I can, I want to save Tomura from himself."

Kaminari scratched his neck sheepishly, "Sorry Midoriya, that was probably a pretty bad thing to say on my part. It's just kind of weird to hear you sound almost positive about them, especially after they killed you."

Izuka just shrugged and smiled; "Nothing in the world is black and white, Kaminari. Some Villains are just people who needed help and made the wrong choices. Feeling sorry for them doesn't change that what they're doing is wrong and we as Heroes have to stop them. Still, I'm kind of a softy when it comes to things like this, which is why I want to be a Rescue Hero!" she grinned, "Less moral ambiguity."

The class exchanged strange looks as Izuka got back to her writing. For the first time, they felt like they understood a fair bit more about the strange, quiet girl's mind. They all had reasons for being a hero, some of them had told their classmates and some hadn't, but Izuka was always someone that they had just sort of guessed about; she wanted to be a hero because she wanted to help others. They never really considered that sometimes, helping others meant saving them from themselves.

Finally, they arrived at the USJ, which from the outside, looked the exact same as before. Aizawa led them all inside and that didn't look any different either, at least until they looked at the fountain. The old monolith in the middle had been replaced by a statue; a stone carving of a flexing All-Might. The class looked at it with some trepidation, because perched on the statue's carved fist was a stone depiction of a bird, with large wings that looked like fire, and numerous long tail feathers. It was a phoenix, and an obvious homage to Izuka. At the statue's base was a small plaque of bronze, with some words carved into it; _"This Statue stands as a monument to the Heroes that protected the Students of U.A from a deadly villain attack. May they continue to watch over the people of the world. PLUS ULTRA!"_

"They put in a statue, really?" Izuka muttered, disbelieving before noticing several students were looking elsewhere. With a curious frown, Izuka peaked around them to see what they were staring at and was thoroughly confused to find it was just a vaguely discoloured section of the concrete floor. Suddenly it clicked; this was the spot she had died… the discolouration was from where her blood had soaked into the stone.

"Guys..." she said gently, "I'm alive okay? Don't worry about it."

"Not that easy, stupid Deku." Katsuki frowned, pushing the class away as he moved to the stained ground. Without a word of warning, he shot a powerful explosion at the ground, destroying the discoloured spot and a large portion of the surrounding concrete.

"Bakugou! That is school property!" Tenya scolded.

"Yeah, and Aizawa-Sensei is right here! Do you want more detention?" Ochako said, causing the class to look towards their teacher, who was very obviously looking away.

Aizawa looked back and made a face of mock surprise; "Oh no, the horrible stain was smashed. Too bad I didn't see who did it, I'd give them detention." his eyes softened, "I'll be sure to see next time though, so no more reckless destruction."

The students smirked and nodded. Aizawa sent a text to Cementoss about the needed repair and just as he finished, the other four teachers arrived, each in their hero gear (though Ingenium had decided not to use his helmet).

"Greetings, we are here! What happened to the ground?" All-Might asked.

"Someone blew up an old bloodstain. Didn't see who." Aizawa deadpanned. All four teachers looked to Katsuki but said nothing.

"Well nothing of great value was lost then! Now students, you have obviously met myself, Thirteen and Aizawa, but let me introduce Power Loader and our special guest teacher, Ingenium!" All-Might said grandly, gesturing to the two.

Power Loader grinned and waved his clawed hand. He was sitting in a large robotic construction suit, which left him towering over them all, even All-Might. Ingenium, who wasn't actually a teacher but a volunteer, bowed politely and smiled. "Greetings, Class 1-A. I am Tensei Iida, first son of the Iida Family, though you will most likely know me as the Turbo Hero: Ingenium! My younger brother Tenya has told me much about you all, so I look forward to working with you. Might I ask which of you is Izuka Midoriya?"

Izuka blushed bright red and stepped forward. "T-That's me!"

Tensei looked her up and down, before grinning happily, "It is nice to meet you, Midoriya! Tenya told me of how you spoke for him after the Entrance Exams and during the election for Class Representative! Thank you for believing in him! He is a bit overenthusiastic at times, but I know he'll be a great hero!" Tenya blushed at his brother's praise, but beneath the reddened cheeks was an unmistakeable look of pride.

"Oh my goodness, Ingenium is thanking me!" Izuka gushed, entering fangirl mode. The Class had yet to see it since all the Pros they'd met so far were ones she'd already met. "Mr. Ingenium sir, could I please ask you for an autograph? I'm sorry, that's so rude of me! I just really love heroes, especially rescue heroes!"

Ingenium laughed, "Of course! It's not rude at all! I'm glad you're a fan of Rescue Heroes!" he said, happily taking Izuka's notebook and signing his name on the page about him. As he looked for the best spot to sign, he briefly read some of Izuka's notes, his face going from happiness to wonder. Midoriya had drawn two pictures of him; a standing shot of him in his armour but no helmet and an action shot of him running with his helmet on. Both pictures were annotated and Ingenium was shocked at how accurate some of the information was, especially considering the notes appeared to have been made through conjecture and logical deductions.

"These are excellent notes, Midoriya! With analysis skills like yours, combined with your healing, I think you'd make an excellent Rescue and Support Specialist." Tensei complimented, handing back the signed book. Izuka made a noise that sounded like a mix between a kitten's mewl and an excited puppy as she hugged the notebook to herself. The Class sweat-dropped; for a girl with an immortality quirk and All-Might as a father, Izuka was very easy to please.

Thirteen cleared their throat to get the class's attention, "Hello everyone. I'd like to apologise to you all for the events that happened last time. As the supervisor of the USJ, I should never have allowed it to happen, especially since I lectured you all on using your quirks safely only to be turn around and ignore my own advice. I deeply apologise for my errors, please forgive me." the Space Hero bowed.

Yaoyorozu stepped forward, "As President of Class 1-A, I thank you for your apology, but I think I can speak for all of us when I say it wasn't necessary. We were all caught unaware and made mistakes. Many of us used our own quirks recklessly and were left vulnerable as well. Ultimately, the blame rests only on the villains."

Thirteen tilted their head, before turning to Aizawa. "Eraserhead, you have some good students."

The man smirked, "Yes I do. Now let's get to training so they can become even better."

"Of course! Firstly, I assume you've been assigned teams already? In that case, here are your supervisors for the trial! Team A will be with All-Might, Team B will be with Ingenium, Team C will be with me, Team D will be with Power Loader and lastly, Team E will be with Eraserhead." Thirteen said, gesturing for the teams to gather together, their supervisor standing behind them while Thirteen's own team waited patiently at their side.

"The Rescue Trial is actually three part, and you come take it over three seperate days. This is because you will only enter two of the zones today, two another day and the last two on another day. This should have been your second day, but after the Villain Attack, we've been set back, so instead, we'll be having two days with you all clearing three zones!" Thirteen explained.

Aizawa cut in, "The reason we split the trial up in the first place is that the activity is essentially the same regardless of zone. Only the terrain is different, so having you all do the same thing six times in one day will just lead to you all getting bored and forgetting crucial information. It would have been like All-Might asking you to attack and defend every location in the Combat Trial; you'd have gotten some experience from it, but the diminishing return would have made it more effort than it was worth."

"Eraserhead is correct. Now as this is the Rescue Trial, your task will obviously involve rescue! Normally I'd explain this next bit, but since we have our resident inventor with us, he can explain his toys." Thirteen said, turning everyone's attention to Power Loader.

The Excavation Hero grinned and pulled two mannequins from the pack on the back of his robot suit. They were both genderless mannequins, one adult sized and one child sized. "These two dolls are of my own design: they're my patented Rescue Practice Dolls. They're essentially robots designed to act as replica humans. They're made from synthetic flesh and bone, the same used in modern medicine to replace lost limbs or damaged areas. These dolls have the most realistic artificial cardiovascular system to emulate the blood of the human body and all the interior components have been carefully shaped to resemble human organs. The robots even have a special randomiser in their brains to change how they act based on a randomly generated string of character points to simulate a personality! Essentially, they are the perfect fake humans and will react realistically to injury. You'll be rescuing them!"

Thirteen took over from there; "In each of the six zones is a supply of these dolls. During the prep stage before you enter a zone, these dolls will scatter around the zone and some will purposely injure themselves. Your job is to safely evacuate all the dolls to the rescue area by the Zone entrance. Naturally, you'll have no idea of their locations or of the number of dolls you need to rescue. In the real world, Rescue Heroes often have to search for those trapped or rely on the assistance of the locals to help inform them of where people are likely to be. Be careful though, the injured dolls may be worsened if you treat them too roughly which will reflect badly on your performance."

Aizawa pulled out his PDA, "Each of you will receive a personal and a team score. Each Zone has a time limit of 40 minutes. If you manage to rescue all your dolls, your score will be based on how much time you had left. If you reach the limit, it'll be based on how many dolls you missed. You'll also lose points if any Doll's health declines while in your care or if any Doll's die. Child Dolls will naturally have a bigger point penalty than the adults. Think you can all handle this?"

"YEAH!" The class cheered.

"Good. Team A, report to the Ruins Zone, Team B the Landslide Zone, Team C the Mountain Zone, Team D the Conflagration Zone and Team E the Flood Zone. When done in the zone, head to next one on your left as you leave. Reconvene here when you're finished or if there is any kind of emergency." Aizawa instructed, before leaving his fellow supervisors to take control of their teams and lead them off. He'd chosen the teams himself as well as their supervisors, purposely picking himself for the team Midoriya was on.

After all, a Rescue Hero that needed rescuing from their own sacrificial nature was going to be a problem in the future.

He led them to the Flood Zone, keeping Midoriya at his side so they could speak quietly. "Midoriya, remember, this is a Rescue Trial. Your healing would be useful in a real rescue situation, but these dolls cannot be healed. Don't try it."

"Yes Sensei!" Izuka chirped.

"I also wanted to talk about what you did the last time we were here." he looked at her and noticed she was looking chastised already, "Look, I understand why you did what you did, and I even recognise that given your position, it was the only thing you could do, which is why I'm not angry with you." he said gently, causing her to perk up and look up at him with shining hopeful eyes, "But I am afraid of your attitude. You have no sense of self-preservation and that is a scary thing. I understand that you want to be a hero that inspires hope and feelings of safety in others, correct?"

Izuka nodded.

"Then you should know that seeing their hero die, even if she comes back, would bring nothing but fear to the people."

"But Sensei…!"

"But nothing, Izuka." Aizawa interrupted, shifting to using her first name like he had when she was a kid, "I am a Pro Hero already and I knew about your quirk and I was still afraid. Your classmates were terrified and horrified… you heard how much they care about you, so imagine how they felt to see you tortured then murdered. Especially since they knew you surrendered for their sakes. How do you think you'd feel if someone else died for you?"

The girl sniffled, her lip trembling and her eyes filling with tears. Aizawa briefly felt a stab of guilt, but he knew this was an important lesson. Immortality or not, he couldn't allow Izuka to be so recklessly selfless. Teaching a Selfish person to be selfless was difficult, but teaching a Selfless person to be selfish was damn near impossible. "I'm sorry, Aizawa-Sensei. I was just scared… I didn't want the others to be hurt. I'm sorry I disappointed you."

Aizawa, conscious of the kids behind him watching him, ruffled her hair. "You didn't disappoint me at all, you just scared me, but apology accepted. Just be sure not to ever sacrifice yourself unless it is absolutely the only choice left, okay?" Izuka sniffled again and gave him a watery smile as she tried to subtly rub her face and dry her eyes.

A few steps behind the two, Ochako and Ojiro exchanged looks. "What do you think they're talking about?" Ochako asked, looking to Jiro.

Jiro, with her advanced hearing had heard it all. "He gave her some advice." she said dismissively.

Ojiro raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Was it good advice?"

"Yeah. The kind that the Cinnamon Bunny needed to hear." Jiro smiled. Secretly, Ochako and Momo had made badges for the "Izuka Midoriya Protection Squad" and had handed them out to the whole class. Bakugou had sneered but taken one anyway, while Todoroki had looked at it blankly before pocketing it and pretending like nothing had happened. They were in the process of writing a proposal to Nezu to make it an official club… maybe Jiro should tell them that Aizawa-Sensei might be willing to be their faculty advisor?

Putting that thought on the back burner, Team E (or Team Eraserhead as they thought of themselves) arrived at the Flood Zone. Aizawa-Sensei led them into a small cabin beside the entrance and pressed a button, signalling the dolls to position themselves around the zone. The cabin lacked windows, so they couldn't see where the dolls were hiding.

"You have five minutes to strategise. Get going." Aizawa told them, leaning against a wall.

The four immediately huddled together, Izuka taking the lead. "Can you three all swim well?" she asked.

"I can swim great!" Ochako grinned.

"My tail makes me a fast swimmer." Ojiro added.

"I'm fine at it, but I can't hold my breath for long." Jiro said.

Izuka nodded; "Alright, I have a plan. I'll fly over the zone to scan for dolls from above. Ojiro, I need you to swim around and find what you can in the water. Kyoka, stay on dry land but use your jacks to see if you can find anyone trapped underwater. Maybe try using your quirk like a sonar? Ochako, float yourself to the wrecked ship and search it. Rescue any doll you can. Kyoka, report any dolls you find to Ojiro or Me. If any of you can't free someone trapped, tell me and I'll come help. Think that's good?"

The other three nodded. The five minutes expired and the team dashed out, immediately beginning their plan. Izuka took to the sky and flew around, specifically over the giant green water slide that mimicked a waterfall and river full of rocks. Ojiro dived into the water, swimming like an otter and searching a few feet beneath the surface. Kyoka submerged her jacks and began listening carefully, trying to use a small sound wave like a sonar. To her surprise, it actually worked. Ochako easily floated herself to the ship and began running about the deck to find the dolls. Their teamwork proved highly effective: Izuka easily rescued the dolls trapped in the fake river/waterfall while Ojiro was able to rapidly swim around and pluck out the dolls that were trapped just below the surface or floating on debris. Ochako cleared the ship, using her quirk to move broken parts of the boat's engine off of the dolls in the ship's workings. As for Kyoka, while she didn't perform any direct rescues, she was able to locate many dolls tangled in fake seaweed in the murky depths of the water where Ojiro couldn't see, and even located some dolls that Izuka had missed amongst the rocks in the fake river. The only problem they encountered was when Ojiro was unable to free a doll trapped by some rubble underwater. Even his muscle tail wasn't strong enough to lift it, resulting in him calling Izuka for help. Without her fire to help propel her, Izuka was relying entirely on One for All to augment her while she swam and that had resulted in her overdoing it a bit and getting a sprained ankle, though they'd rescued the doll. Five minutes and a quick heal later, Team E was stood on the shore, alongside a small army of fake humans while Aizawa tabulated their grades.

With their teamwork, quick and efficient rescues and Kyoka's detection skills, the team of four had easily cleared the Flood Zone in twenty four minutes, leaving them with sixteen minutes to spare. No dolls had died (though the one Ojiro needed Izuka's help to rescue did come close from being underwater too long) and only one doll's condition was worsened by the Heroes when Ochako accidentally overdid it with her quirk and made a doll on the ship hit the ceiling of the engine room, though the injury was negligible. "Impressive. You four made a good team. As expected from two would be Rescuers and a Sensory Type. Your score is 96 out of 100. You were docked two points for Uraraka injuring one of dolls, though it was minor, and another two points for Midoriya injuring herself. Overall, an excellent first time score."

Team E whooped and highfived one another. Ochako and Izuka apologised for their mistakes, though their teammates waved them off with a smile.

Team E's next zone was the Downpour Zone and compared to the Flood Zone, it was a walk in the park. The faux city within the zone was almost completely undamaged, aside from some broken pots and windows, as well as some toppled trash. The wind and rain was monsoon level and would have caused trouble for a civilian, but not a hero team like Team E. Jiro was safely bundled away in a relatively quiet corner to use her hearing to detect the dolls. Even without Plus Ultra Mode, Jiro could hear everything in the zone while her jacks were attached to the ground and she was easily able to pinpoint the locations of the dolls and pass them to her team over their earpieces. Ochako was carried on Ojiro's back so she could offset the force of the winds with her gravity control, allowing them to move relatively undeterred, though the two did suffer a nasty fall that Izuka had to catch them from after Ojiro's tail slipped while they were scaling a building to rescue a child trapped on a broken fire escape. Surprisingly, Izuka was the one that suffered most in this zone; the rain constantly interfered with her wings (they were made of fire) and the wind blew her off course easily because she was so light. Aside from Mineta, Izuka was the smallest and lightest person in class, even with her muscles. Still, Izuka persevered and managed to do her job without injuring herself or risking the dolls. It only took the group twenty two minutes this time and to be honest, Aizawa was thrilled mostly because it meant he wouldn't need to stand in the Downpour Zone any more. They all looked a bit worse for wear on their way out.

All of them (including Aizawa) used Izuka as a space heater while their grades were decided. They scored 94 points this time, as they had lost 6 because of Ojiro's slip. "If you hadn't been saved by Midoriya, you could have been seriously hurt. If just Ojiro had fallen, you'd have lost 10 points, but if his fall had injured Uraraka as well, it would have cost you 30 points. As it is, you still lose 6 because you forced a fellow hero to turn away from the civilians in order to save you. 3 points from Ojiro for the slip and 3 from Midoriya for turning away from the Civilians. It's harsh, but in a Rescue Situation, you need to prioritise the Civilians over everything." Aizawa explained.

Ojiro groaned; "Damn… sorry girls. I messed up."

"It's cool." Kyoka lightly swatted his shoulder, "Now you know for next time right?"

"Yeah! We're all just starting out!" Ochako added cheerfully.

"It's fine to make mistakes in practice 'cause then you can improve. Let's try harder in the next zone!" Izuka offered shyly. Ojiro smiled gratefully at their comments and proceeded to follow them to the Ruins Zone for their final test of the day.

The first half of their real USJ Rescue Trial went out with less of a bang and more of a whimper as compared to the Flood and Downpour Zones, the Ruins Zone was a cake walk for Team E. Despite the Dolls being better hidden thanks to all the rubble, Kyoka pinpointed their locations easily, since she didn't have to filter out the noise of water or wind, and she had gotten so used to the sounds of the dolls, it was much easier for her to find them. Without water to disrupt her fire, Izuka was in her element, easily flying around the zone, using One for All to lift rubble and carry numerous injured dolls. Ojiro was also in his element, as the wrecked buildings left him with a plethora of ledges and foot holds for him to clamber around on, allowing him to really climb like a monkey in an urban jungle. Ochako acted as Izuka's partner, as with her Zero Gravity Quirk, she could sort of fly and could easily move rubble in a way that was probably even safer than Izuka's strength. Of course, as with the last two tests, the team did have some trouble.

Rather than the terrain causing them issues or just minor slip ups on their part, it was the Dolls themselves and their generated personalities that caused them a headache. A couple of dolls were uncooperative, actively moving away from the Heroes or trying to save others themselves and causing problems. One had pulled at a chunk of rubble that was holding up a damaged building and it was only Ochako's quick wits that stopped the building from crushing both the hapless doll and the child doll that it had been programmed to think was it's daughter. All in all, the whole zone was cleared in 15 minutes, narrowly missing the First Year Record by 32 seconds.

Aizawa waved them over when they were done and smirked proudly, "Well, I can't say I expected any less from you after the last two zones, but I'm still amazed. It's rare for a First Year Team to clear a zone in the time limit on their first attempt, let alone clear three of them. Your score for the Ruins Zone is an excellent 99 points; you only lost a single point due to your lapse of attention allowing that mother doll to almost worsen the disaster, but your quick intervention saved you from a worse penalty. Good work, I'm proud of you four." he told them.

Izuka and Ochako beamed at him before hugging each other happily while Ojiro sighed in relief and Kyoka bashfully twirled her jacks around her finger.

"We really made a great team." Ojiro smiled.

"Yeah! As Rescue Heroes, we could make our own agency! Ojiro, Kyoka, do you two want to be Rescue Heroes like Izuka and me?" Ochako asked.

Kyoka shrugged; "My quirk is better for reconnaissance and maybe some combat if I train my body some more. Still, I think I'd be okay as a Support Hero to a Rescue Team."

Ojiro nodded in agreement, "I don't think I'll ever be a devoted Rescue Hero, since I'm better at fighting, but I feel think I could possibly be a Balanced Hero. It'd actually be great to become a Balanced Hero with a quirk like mine, since most Balanced Heroes have really strong and versatile quirks. Actually Midoriya, I think you'd be good for that."

"Really? I mean, I can fight if I have to, but I'd rather not. I like healing and helping people, so hurting them, even villains is kind of against my nature. I think a Support and Rescue Hero is what I'll be, with Kacchan doing the fighting since he likes it. We've had a plan for our agency since we were 10." Izuka smiled.

Ojiro and Ochako laughed at the thought of a ten year old Katsuki and Izuka planning a Hero Agency, while Kyoka looked oddly pensive. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something, Izuka." Kyoka said seriously.

"Sure, what is it?" Izuka asked.

"Well it's about what happened here last time. Not you dying I mean, but the fight with the weird guy Noumu. It's just..." Kyoka hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should continue. Izuka just tilted her head cutely and smiled, urging Kyoka on with her look. "You killed Noumu, you and Todoroki, right?"

"Oh." Izuka looked surprised, "That's what you were wondering about, huh? I understand, I just sometimes forget that you guys don't know everything I do."

"I know Noumu was an Artificial Human." Kyoka said, "It's just that considering how upset you were when you told us about you supposedly killing All for One, I figured even an Artificial Human would give you pause."

Izuka smiled sadly, "As horrible as it sounds, killing the Noumus is the closest to saving them as we can get. You see, they're not really Artificial Humans; they're normal people. All for One would pick a person with a strong body, or someone with a certain body type and begin layering quirks into them, along with brainwashing. The body can't handle all those quirks being forced on it, so it begins to go into shock, which combined with the effects of the brainwashing leaves the person brain dead. Their body functions, but they have no mind at all; no conscious, no subconscious, no anything. Because the damage is mental and not physical, not even my healing can restore it…. They become literal living dolls that can only act by obeying the orders of All for One. The Noumu I killed was probably told to obey Tomura as well."

"S-So some of the people that All for One kidnapped… they were..." Ochako looked sick.

"Noumus, yes." Izuka said sadly.

"This is going to sound awful, but why didn't he make you into a Noumu?" Ojiro asked.

Izuka paused for a moment, not having considered that possibility before. "I… I don't think he could. I told you how I could resist his brainwashing and mental conditioning quirks, so I think that was part of it. Also, because my body evolves so easily when I die and get reborn, it probably means that if he made me a Noumu, he wouldn't be able to control me and I'd have gone wild or kept my mind and escaped."

Without realising it, all of Class 1-A had been exposed to a portion of Izuka's own self evolution. Not from the Links, but from watching Tomura torture her, though none had realised at the time due to shock and horror. Izuka had taken a lot of extremely bad and bloody injuries, but the blood she'd lost had been oddly minimal and despite the grievousness of the wounds, she hadn't gone into shock. This was a result of Izuka's evolution having grown used to Tomura's quirk, allowing her to survive longer while it was used on her, though for an Immortal, surviving longer during torture wasn't much of an advantage.

Aizawa watched the conversation closely, keeping quiet and out of the kids' notice. Recovery Girl had warned the teachers about something she'd learned of Izuka's evolution and they'd likely discuss it after the Sports Festival. The teacher just hoped she'd take it well…

Shaking himself from those dour thoughts, Aizawa spared a thought for his fellow supervisors; his team had done excellently so he wondered how well the others had done...

 **[TEAM A]**

All-Might was frustrated beyond belief. He had led his Team A through the Ruins, Landslide and Mountain Zones and with each zone, it became clear that his team wasn't going to do well in this sort of training… and the worst part, it was through no fault of the students themselves! Team A worked hard and seriously; Aoyama kept his narcissism to a limit and Mineta's more motivated attitude did wonders for his performance, but none of it was enough to overcome the main problem; the four weren't good rescuers! It had started well in the Ruins Zone; Aoyama had used his Sparkle Point to accurately cut his way to Dolls while Sero and Mineta used their quirks to keep rubble from falling and to make sure everyone was safe regardless of what chunks of concrete were smashed by Aoyama's laser. All-Might had been pleasantly surprised, though Kaminari wasn't a great help, but the boy made up for it by carrying dolls and trying to use the ear piece of his costume to try and boost his hearing. Unfortunately, that was the team's first great weakness; they had no talent in finding the dolls so they just searched blindly. Even with the ear piece, Kaminari could only hear a little better than a normal person and as it turned out, none of the group had any sense of direction.

They ended up timing out in the Ruins Zone, rescuing 70% of the Dolls, but this left them with a relatively low score of 54 Points (timing out meant the highest score they could get was 75 out of 100). From there, it had gotten worse; in the loose ground of the Landslide Zone, Mineta and Sero couldn't use their quirks, since tape and sticky balls would just pull at the crumbly dirt and sand, not adhering to anything solid. Plus, Aoyama's laser was less effective since he couldn't safely cut his way into the dirt like he could concrete. In the end, they timed out after a measly 20% of the Dolls being saved, resulting in a score of only 14 Points… The Mountain Zone was a lot better, with Mineta using his orbs to create foot holds to climb rock surfaces and Sero rappelling down with his tape, but Aoyama had very little to do besides carefully cutting the occasional rock that trapped a doll. Again they timed out, managing just one doll shy of 50%. They got 43 points there, mostly because All-Might felt bad considering how hard they were trying. Their combination simply lacked anyone to find the victims, which was crucial for Rescue! All-Might kept his cheerful disposition when dealing with his dejected students; he needed to find a way for them to do better! Maybe he could talk to Izuka later… she had notes on all her classmates.

 **[TEAM B]**

Ingenium was a happy man. He was one of the Balanced Heroes, so he appreciated Combat, Rescue and Support, though truthfully he loved Rescue the most. And here he was, at U.A again, mentoring a team of great kids that were doing excellently! Yaoyorozu was the backbone of the team through Landslide, Mountain and Conflagration, creating sonar and special detectors to find the victims as well as specialist gear such as climbing gear and heat resistant clothing for the changing zones. Ashido and Kirishima was powerhouses, using acid and sharp claws to effortlessly go through sand, rock and concrete to get to the trapped dolls, while with Tokoyami, it was like the Four Man Team had a fifth member, as he seperated from Dark Shadow to rescue other dolls. The Team had the same basic routine throughout the three zones: first Yaoyorozu would create whatever gear her teammates would need to operate efficiently, then she'd go about creating the tracking gear to find the dolls, finding them while her teammates prepared. From there, Ashido, Kirishima and Dark Shadow would tear off to wherever Yaoyorozu ordered them while Tokoyami followed behind, acting as a delivery boy taking Dolls to the safe zone and extra supplies from Yaoyorozu to his teammates. Their longest time was 35 minutes in the Landslide Zone (Tensei felt they were just getting into the grove of things) and their shortest time was 22 minutes in the Conflagration Zone.

They got excellent scores to match: the Landslide Zone was cleared with 84 Points (they lost a few because Ashido accidentally damaged a doll with her acid and Dark Shadow took offense to the personality of a child doll and took a bite out of it's leg). The Mountain Zone earned them 98 Points, only losing two points due to Kirishima almost cutting Ashido when he swung his sharp fingers out too far while digging. But the cream of the crop was the Conflagration Zone, where they managed an amazing 100 points! A perfect score! They hadn't made a single mistake, something Tensei was certain had only happened two or three times before during a first lesson.

So Tensei Iida was extremely happy; he hoped he'd get some of these kids as Sidekicks when they graduated! He was eager to chat about them with Tenya too! His little brother had some amazing friends.

 **[TEAM C]**

Thirteen felt mixed about her own team. Team C worked hard and despite Koda's quiet nature and Todoroki's somewhat anti-social nature, they worked well together, but like with All-Might's Team A, their quirks simply weren't well suited to search and rescue with the exception of Asui. Asui and Todoroki were the backbones of the team; the former being extremely agile and able to get to pretty much any spot in the zone, while Todoroki was powerful and creative enough to use his ice to make paths and access points for his allies. The problem was that Koda's quirk was completely useless in the USJ (in a real situation, he might have been able to use animals to scout, but in the enclosed space of the USJ, it wasn't possible) and Hagakure's quirk could even be potentially detrimental, at least without using Plus Ultra Mode to become visible. Oddly, Hagakure was also the one that became their only source of scouting, as she could manipulate the Invisible Bubble of her Plus Ultra Mode to render rubble and walls invisible, allowing them to more efficiently find Dolls trapped underground.

Their first zone was the Mountain Zone and it had gone fairly well all things considering. Asui could climb on the rock faces easily and Todoroki could hover briefly with fire jets or climb easily with ice stairs. Koda, as the strongest physically (and also the gentlest) was made the escort, taking Dolls to the Safe Zone once Asui or Todoroki passed them along, while Hagakure cautiously used her quirk to see through rocks to find Dolls underneath. They had managed a reasonably good 80% before time out, earning them 75 points, since they made no mistakes. The next zone was much tougher for poor Asui; the Conflagration Zone. The extreme heat made it nearly impossible for her to function well, and when Todoroki responded by freezing the entire zone like he'd done in the Villain Attack, he had inadvertently made it worse since Asui was even worse in extreme cold and the sudden freezing had injured some dolls, costing them points. They ended up only rescuing 10% of the dolls and got a horrible 10 points due to all the deductions caused by the injuries Todoroki caused. The boy had bowed and apologised and his teammates had forgiven him, but it was still annoying, especially since Thirteen had to get the flames going before the next team came! The last zone was a return to form for the team though as it was the Flood Zone. Asui was in her element and Todoroki cautiously froze portions of the lake surface to move easily. Koda wasn't much use here, as he couldn't swim, so he stayed on the shore, guiltily watching his teammates. With Asui's excellent swimming abilities, they actually managed to win before timing out, getting it done in 38 minutes and scoring 89 out of 100, losing points only due to Hagakure and Koda being more of a detriment than a help, though Thirteen felt awful saying so when they saw Koda's face fall and his eyes turn tearful.

Thirteen suspected Koda really wanted to be a Rescue Hero, so it probably hurt him to fail at the Rescue Trial, especially since his team had also failed both matches in the Combat Trial. Thinking to themselves, Thirteen wondered if Nezu would allow her to bring real birds and fish into the USJ…

 **[TEAM D]**

Power Loader had built and perfected the Rescue Dolls, so he had seen their inner workings at every stage of development and construction… still, he didn't expect to see those innards so much during an actual Rescue Trial… he was also fairly certain that Bakugou might have been a high functioning sociopath.

Team D, for lack of a better word, failed appallingly. Iida and Shoji were brief glimpses of light in the murk of Team D; Iida ran and rescued like a mad man while Shoji's hearing and mini clones were a godsend and almost made up for the other two. Sato was well meaning at least; he just misjudged his own strength a lot and would hurt dolls by smashing rubble recklessly or grabbing them too roughly. Bakugou was just a very angry young man that didn't take any lip from annoying dolls. Every time a Doll would say something that annoyed him, BOOM! No more doll.

The Team went through the Conflagration, Flood and Downpour Zones and despite not timing out in any of them thanks to Shoji's sensory skills and Iida's speed, their scores were rarely above 10 points due to the fact that the Hero murdering the victims tended to be looked down upon and points taken. Power Loader was just happy that Bakugou only reacted that way with robots and not people.

His long-suffering teammates took it in stride, knowing that their personal scores would be better at least. Bakugou didn't seem to care; he made it abundantly clear he didn't want to be a Rescue Hero and didn't want to be on a team without Midoriya. Power Loader just sighed and ignored the boy, offering a silent prayer to Midoriya for having to control the explosive blond.

 **[THE RESULTS]**

Finally, after a hard day's work, the five teams reassembled at the fountain with their supervisors. The students rested and chatted while the teachers worked out the scores to decide the class's rescue rankings. As part of the U.A Grading Scheme for Heroes, each student had a grade for Combat, Rescue and Support as well as an aggregate grade for both their Heroic and Academic abilities. They'd yet to be given a Combat Grade (All-Might had forgotten) but they would now get their first Rescue Grade.

"Alright you lot, listen up. First, we have the team scores. Here they are:

1\. Team B: Ashido, Kirishima, Tokoyami and Yaoyorozu with 282 out of 300.

2\. Team E: Uraraka, Ojiro, Jiro and Midoriya with 281 out of 300.

3\. Team C: Asui, Koda, Todoroki and Hagakure with 174 out of 300.

4\. Team A: Aoyama, Kaminari, Sero and Mineta with 111 out of 300.

5\. Team D: Iida, Sato, Shoji and Bakugou with 22 out of 300."

Eraserhead shot Ingenium a slightly annoyed look, which Ingenium replied to with a smug smirk. Izuka and her team were happy to have done so well, but they were a little disappointed to have missed first place by only 1 point. Still, with someone like Yaoyorozu on the team, it was difficult not to win. Izuka knew Momo was the smartest student in Class 1-A and definitely the most versatile.

"Congratulations to Team B. You may have only one by a narrow margin, but victory is victory, so be proud. Team E, you just came short, but don't get disheartened, keeping working and win next time. Team C, you made some mistakes but managed to retain at least half your points, so while there is a lot of room for improvement, there is also something to be proud off." Aizawa said, before turning to the bottom two teams; "Team A, you were unfortunate to be a team with unideal abilities in poor locations. Because of this, your low performance is to be somewhat expected, but this school is all about going beyond, so I expect you to work together and find solutions to the problems you encountered. As for Team D..."

Izuka gulped as her Sensei's eyes narrowed on Kacchan, the rest of Team D noticeably edging away while the boy stood there defiantly. "You, Bakugou are entirely to blame for the loss of Team D. While Sato was also a detriment in how he used his quirk, he still entered the trial with the right spirit and genuinely tried, but you… you actively sabotaged your team, destroying dolls for simply sassing you. I know for a fact you wouldn't do that to real people, so why do it here?"

Katsuki growled, "I'm not a fucking Rescue Hero! My job is to kick the bad guys' asses while Deku saves the people."

Aizawa scowled, "So is that what you want to be? A parasite leeching off Midoriya's hard work? If that really is your goal, then I tell you now; give up on being a Hero. The world doesn't need another thug in a costume."

All-Might exchanged a look with his daughter. This wasn't like Katsuki. He was aggressive true, and his tone and mannerisms were often violent, but he never actually became physically violent outside of a real situation like the Villain Attack. "What is this about, Young Bakugou? I know you are not the kind of boy who just wants to destroy."

Katsuki looked away from the Number One Hero's gaze. "Yeah, well maybe you're wrong about me!" he snapped, turning and stalking off, much to the bewilderment of the class.

"No he's not!" Izuka yelled, suddenly looking angry as she followed him out of earshot of the others, "What's gotten into you!? You're not acting like yourself!"

"Maybe that's a good thing!" Katsuki yelled back, "The "Me" from before was a fucking weakling or a fucking bully! I tried to change and yet I'm still the same pathetic weakling as I was before!" what looked suspiciously like tears began to glint in the corners of his eyes.

Izuka looked taken aback; of all the words she'd use to describe Kacchan, Weak wasn't one of them. "Kacchan… My Lion, what is this really about? Why are you so upset?" she asked, softly this time, using her more loving and intimate nickname for her boyfriend. She felt a little jolt of happiness when she saw Katsuki blush a bit.

"I…I shouldn't have fucking come back here. To the goddamn USJ..." Katsuki said. The defeat in his voice wiped away the brief bit of amusement Izuka had felt at his reaction to his nickname.

"Why? I-I know it was a horrible thing that happened, but it's over now. Just forget about it." she said.

Katsuki barked a sad laugh, "Yeah, as if I fucking could. They put up a fucking monument… like a goddamn memorial or something! For fuck sake, they left a damn blood stain! How can I forget it… how can I forget breaking my promise; the only damn one I ever cared about." he sat down on the long stairway, his head in his hands. "I've never been back to that park you know."

He looked up and saw Izuka's confusion, "The Park you were taken from, six years ago. I treated you like shit for five years, from the moment we turned four and you hadn't developed your quirk. I had promised to marry and protect you as a kid and then I became a fucking bully, no, an abuser! Then that Mist Fucker comes to kidnap me and the girl who should have hated me saves my life. I failed to protect you. I prayed you know; I actually fucking prayed, begging whatever would listen to let you come home safely. And then, like a miracle, you did. I made a promise then to truly protect you then, to become stronger so you'd never have to sacrifice yourself again." Katsuki looked up, tears of anger and frustration in his eyes, "I failed again, and you died. I gave a lot of shit to that Half n Half fucker, and he deserves it, but I'm to blame too."

Izuka gasped, "S-So, today in the trial, that was you… punishing yourself!?"

Kacchan gave a wry smile; "I knew the Teachers would be grading us as individuals. Even if I fucked up myself, the other three wouldn't get caught up in it. I don't deserve to succeed in a fake trial after I failed so fucking miserably in the real thing."

A lot of things suddenly happened, things that Katsuki had expected, and things that he hadn't. He expected Izuka to get angry, to slap him and kick his ass to the curb. He almost, in the darkest corner of his mind, expected her to immediately run to Half n Half. He was right about one thing at least; though Katsuki wished he wasn't as he felt the stinging slap impact with his cheek. No sooner had Izuka's hand struck his face was it replaced by her lips, kissing him softly with tears in her eyes.

"Katsuki…" she never used his full name, but she needed to here, "I want to tell you some things. Firstly, I never thought of you as a bully or abuser. We were best friends as children and I never thought that changed. I didn't like how you treated me, but even though you said mean things, you never hurt me and you never forced me away. Katsuki, you were my hero! Second only to All-Might! I wanted to be as strong and confident as you! When I was rescued, I was so happy I could be with you and that feeling hasn't ever gone away! I love you and we are going to do this together. Everything; we are going to graduate together, we are going to go Pro together, we are forming an agency together and we're going to fight, rescue and support together! I hate fighting, but I can do it if you're by my side! So be by my side while I rescue people."

Katsuki looked into Izuka's eyes… those big, shining green eyes. They always looked at him with admiration and with love… The boy felt like he was stood before an angel, a messenger of Heaven that brings nothing but peace and forgiveness. It almost felt sacrilegious to reach up and kiss her, but he did it anyway. "Thank you, Little Rabbit. Your Lion fucked up, but he'll do better."

Izuka beamed at him, touching her nose to his with a happy giggle. The two soon stood and dried their eyes before returning to the class, who were looking at them curiously. Aizawa raised an eyebrow as Katsuki stepped forward to face him, before being shocked as the boy bowed. "I'm sorry. I let what happened last time get to me. It won't happen again."

Aizawa's eyes flew to the small red handprint on the boy's cheek and then to the sheepish look on Midoriya's face. He smirked a bit; "Emotions and Promises are tricky things. You're still a novice, so I'll let it go this time."

Katsuki nodded appreciatively and turned to his three teammates. He didn't bow this time, but he did at least nod respectfully, "Look, I'm not going to be saying this again, so open your damn ears. I'm sorry I fucked up the trial. You can count on me next time."

Shoji nodded in return, "It's fine. Calm your spirit and you will go far."

"Indeed! While your wording left much to be desired, it takes a man of character to apologise sincerely for his mistakes. You have my respect, Bakugou!" Iida yelled. Tensei smirked at the gestures of his little brother.

"I wasn't much better to be honest." Sato shrugged, "Let's do better next time, eh Bakugou?"

All-Might grinned happily. His two young students were beginning to grow up. Aizawa disinterestedly tapped at his PDA, before announcing the grades of the class.

Momo Yaoyorozu: A+

Izuka Midoriya: A+

Ochako Uraraka: A

Kyoka Jiro: A

Fumikage Tokoyami: A

Mina Ashido: A

Mashirao Ojiro: A-

Eijiro Kirishima: A-

Tsuyu Asui: A-

Tenya Iida: B+

Mezo Shoji: B+

Shoto Todoroki: B-

Hanta Sero: C

Yuga Aoyama: C

Minoru Mineta: C

Koji Koda: C-

Toru Hagakure: C-

Denki Kaminari: C-

Rikido Sato: D

Katsuki Bakugou: Ungraded

The Class looked at the holographic display, unsure how they should take it. They were clearly ranked, but some had the same grade…

Aizawa explained; "Your grades are ranked on the actual number of points you got. The Letter Grade is simply the highest mark you could get with your points. Midoriya, you missed out on top spot by three points. Bakugou, I decided that due to you being mentally compromised, I won't grade you for today's work, but I expect you to work damn hard to make up for it."

"You got it. I'm gonna be Number One! Izuchan, Ponytail, make way 'cause I'm going to kick you both down a few spots!" Katsuki declared. Katsuki had decided; he wanted to be Number One and that would never change, he'd love Izuka and compete with her all at once, after all, once he reached the top, she'd be the only one that could possibly compete with him!

The Class thanked their supervisors and piled back out to the bus, ready to head back and change before going home. As they walked up the long staircase, Izuka was suddenly stopped by Tsuyu jumping in front of her with a happy smile.

"Izuka, I have something for you." she said, taking Izuka's hand and dropping something in it.

Izuka looked at the object, happiness lighting up her eyes and she saw the familiar fabric and ran her fingers over the metal pendant. "My Choker! I thought Tomura destroyed it!"

Tsuyu grinned, "I found it underwater in the Flood Zone. It must have come off while you were helping us."

"Thank you so much Tsuyu!" Izuka said, hugging the frog girl happily, giggling at Tsuyu's own croak-like laugh.

Izuka slipped the choker around her throat and gripped the metal pendant. The metal had been damaged, causing most of the pendant to have warped and broken, leaving the Phoenix looking more like a single, fiery feather. The girl thought on this as she fingered the edge of the cool metal.

Phoenix… that was what her quirk was, what the Villains had named her. Izuka had always sort of accepted that; it was a logical name after all and the theme worked for her so why fight it. Now though, she wasn't sure what to think.

She did know one thing though; Tsuyu was getting a present in thanks! Perhaps the whole class would, as thanks for being her friend. Izuka grinned to herself, there was still two weeks before the Sports Festival, it was time to prepare!

Without even realising it, somewhere in the back of Izuka's soul, a new light had formed and in two weeks, that light would spill forth.


	16. Roaring Sports Festival Part 1

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 16: Roaring Sports Festival Part 1**

For Class 1-A, two weeks seemed to fly by in a blur. Despite it being a short period, the whole class had been working hard, determined to give it their all. They prepared in their own ways, but each found themselves with a bit of help.

The Morning after their first (successful) trip to the USJ, the class had arrived to find small notebooks on their desks. The writing was that of Izuka Midoriya and each book was filled with observations, tips, tricks and strategies meant for each individual. It even included Izuka's drawings of them and some annotations from All-Might and even a couple from Aizawa-Sensei. The whole class had been thankful, though Momo had been curious as to why Izuka would help them all, since they'd be competing against each other.

"W-Well I want to be a Rescue and Support Hero, but I also want to be someone that people can depend on! Someone who brings peace! At the moment, the best thing I can do to reach that goal is make other heroes stronger; the more amazing Heroes, the fewer villains! So until I get strong enough to do it alone, please use these notes and become even more amazing!" had been Izuka's answer.

Needless to say, those Notebooks saw a lot of use.

Their detentions with Aizawa came to an end and more social events replaced them, such as most of the Class visiting Izuka's house. She and Sato had spent a Saturday baking treats for everyone alongside Inko and Katsuki's father, Masaru. The Girls had all come for a sleep over on the Friday night, filling the house with the sound of giggling. Toshinori's home had become an impromptu club house for Class 1-A, with someone always using the Gym, hanging out in the den or garden, and even occasionally crashing in the guest room (Todoroki was a common guest in the Yagi-Midoriya home).

In addition, Izuka and Shoto trained together to further the latter's flame control and let the former get some practice in using it creatively. All the while, the little light in Izuka's Soul grew brighter and closer to the surface. It wouldn't be long before it spilled forth.

The Class has numerous Hero Lessons, though most were theory based so the class didn't overwork their bodies. They had gone back to the USJ again for the second half of the Rescue Trial, where each team cleared the three zones they'd missed the first time. With Katsuki out of his slump, his Team jumped from fifth to third place, narrowly losing to Yaoyorozu's team by a handful of points. Izuka was thrilled when she managed to wrestle the top Rescue Grade away from the taller girl, but Momo promised she'd get it back.

Finally after two busy weeks full of hard work, the day arrived. Today was the U.A Sports Festival!

U.A was swarming with people; the Press, the Police, Pro-Heroes and Civilians were all coming to glimpse the hard work of the next generation of Heroes. Security was tight and the entire district was a crowd trying to slowly get through the additional security to reach the Sports Festival Arena. New barriers had been set up to ensure visitors only went where they were supposed to and both Heroes and Police Officers patrolled the place, keeping their eyes out for even the slightest disturbance. The Press were mostly behaving themselves, since Nezu's statement on the USJ attack showed that their misguided attempt to break into the school had allowed the Villains an opportunity. The Sports Festival had become like a small carnival, with food stands and games set up and managed by the Business Course students and it was being watched over by Kamui Woods, Death Arms and Mount Lady.

In past Festivals, the Third Year Events were the ones watched most carefully, since they had participated in two past events and put their experience to good strategic use, really going beyond because this was their last year. However, in this year's event, everyone was focused entirely on the First Years, specifically Class 1-A. Their class was quite famous because of the USJ Incident, as well as the fact that they had the Son of Endeavor, the Daughter of a Respected Politician and the Girl from the Moncalama Incident. All eyes would be on them, both by Heroes aiming to scout them and the other students aiming to bring them down.

Izuka and her classmates were relaxing in their Prep Room, chatting and going over some last minute preparations. They were all in their Gym Uniforms, as using their costumes could be seen as an unfair advantage. Izuka was taking deep breaths, trying to calm her beating heart. She wanted to do well today, especially since both her parents would be watching from the Teacher's Section. Toshi and Inko had wished their daughter good luck that morning and the memory of their smiles fired Izuka up. She didn't like being in the spot light, but this was her chance to show the world what she was about, so she'd suck it up and fight hard!

As she was doing some breathing exercises, Shoto approached her. "Good Morning, Izuka."

"Ah! Morning Shoto! How are you?" Izuka smiled.

Shoto gave a small smile. "I'm alright. I… I went to see my mother this weekend."

The girl gasped; all through their training together, Shoto had been agonising over whether or not he should go. He feared his mother would still see him as his father and spurn him, or that his appearance might badly effect her recovery. Izuka had gently encouraged him and after Shoto saw how Izuka and her own mother interacted, he was eager to try. He wanted that kind of pleasant parental relationship. "How did it go?" Izuka asked.

"It went well. My mother and I talked for hours. She apologised to me for what happened and told me the same thing you did; that I should only care about being myself and not worry about my father or my mother's expectations. She urged me to use my fire and become a better man than Endeavor." Shoto smiled again, this time wider and happier. He couldn't help but feel joy at the memory of his mother, and that was only amplified by the big smile and shining eyes of Izuka as she looked up at him, just as happy as he was.

"That's great! I'm so happy for you!" Izuka cheered, hugging Shoto.

"Thank you. I would never have been able to do it without your words pushing me forward. Endeavor is here today to watch, but my mother will also be watching from her Hospital. Because of that..." he looked her in the eye with fresh determination, "I want to defeat you today. Not because of our fathers, but because you are the person in class that I respect the most. So I'm going to come at you with full force from both sides!"

The rest of the class began to take notice, with Kaminari being the first comment; "Oho! A Declaration of War from one of the top boys to one of the top girls!" he said, Katsuki growling at his side.

"You're not picking a fight with my little sis, are you Todoroki?" Kirishima jokingly asked.

Izuka smiled, "Shoto… we're all going to be doing out best today, even the kids from other classes and courses. I want to be the strongest hero, the new Symbol of Peace! So I'll take your challenge! Give me everything you've got and do your best! I'll do the same!"

Shoto grinned, "Right."

Shortly thereafter, the signal was given and the students were called to come to the arena. Present Mic's voice could be heard coming from every speaker in the place as he made the announcements.

"AND HERE THEY ARE! THE FIRST YEAR STUDENTS! GIVE A BIG HAND TO THE STUDENTS OF CLASSES 1-A TO 1-K!"

Each class emerged from their own gate along the walls of the arena, and assembled in front of a heightened platform on which the Hero Midnight Stood. The Arena was absolutely packed, with not a single empty seat anywhere. The noise of the cheering crowd was almost deafening and Izuka felt a twinge of shyness as she looked away from the crowds and focused on what was in front of her.

Present Mic continued his introductions: "CLASS 1-A OF THE HERO COURSE ARE WELL KNOWN FOR MIRACULOUSLY BRUSHING OFF THE VILLAIN ATTACK WITH THEIR IRON WILLS! NOT TO BE OUTDONE, WE ALSO HAVE THE FLEDGLING HEROES OF CLASS 1-B! NEXT UP ARE THE GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSES OF 1-C, 1-D AND 1-E! THEN WE'VE GOT OUT TECH GURUS, THE SUPPORT COURSE 1-F, 1-G AND 1-H! LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE'VE GOT THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF VENTURE CAPITAL; THE BUSINESS COURSE 1-I, 1-J AND 1-K!"

"Geez, that's a big crowd..." Izuka mumbled.

"We're expected to put on the best performance we can in front of so many spectators… I suppose this is just another of the necessary skills we must cultivate to become Heroes!" Tenya replied, seemingly unconcerned.

"They give us way too much credit, but we aren't going to get shaken up, right Bakugou?" Kirishima grinned nervously.

"'Course not. I'm going to kick ass!" Katsuki smirked.

The other courses didn't look as enthusiastic, with Izuka overhearing a few General Education Students complaining that they were only there to make the Heroes look good. Izuka felt it would be hard to get motivated with that kind of attitude.

"THIS YEAR'S REFEREE FOR THE FIRST YEARS IS THE R-RATED HERO: MIDNIGHT!"

That got a big reaction from the crowd as Midnight smirked and cracked her whip. "Alright you brats, it's time for the Athlete's Oath! The top student in the Entrance Exams will be giving the oath!" Midnight declared.

There was some muttering and Izuka paled. First in the Entrance Exam? That meant it would be…!

"From Class 1-A, Katsuki Bakugou!"

"Oh no..." Izuka squeaked, sentiments that the rest of her class mirrored.

Katsuki walked to the stage disinterestedly, standing before the microphone, facing the audience with his hands lazily held in his pockets. Katsuki raised an eyebrow; "The Athlete's Oath...Forget it. I'm going to take First Place!"

"I knew he'd say something like that!" Izuka cried as the students descended into booing.

"Don't get cocky, 1-A!"

"Are you trying to insult us!?"

"You Dirty Bastard!"

The Silver haired boy from Class 1-B growled, "Overconfident Asshole! I'll be the one to crush him!"

Katsuki turned to the students, swiping the microphone from it's stand as he stared down at them all coldly, "Quit whining!" he suddenly roared, "If every damn one of you wouldn't make the same Oath I did, you're in the wrong place! If you're not aiming for the top, you're planning to lose! Heroes don't go into battle just hoping they'll win, they go in screaming that they WILL win! So grow some damn balls and come at me like you're actually planning to win!"

Izuka relaxed… Kacchan wasn't just being arrogant, he was declaring his resolve to all of them. Pushing himself forward and motivating the rest of them as a result. As he passed her to return to his place, Izuka squeezed his hand, getting a proud smirk in response.

"A fiery oath! I like it!" Midnight declared, "But without any delay, let's get this show on the road! This year, we have not three events, but four! The First Event will cut you down to a manageable amount and then the remaining people will team up for the Second Event! The Third Event will be our traditional one on one tournament! But as an additional treat for our viewers and participants and as one last event, this year's winner from each year will be able to challenge any Pro Hero in the audience to a special Exhibition Match!"

That certainly got a reaction as all the students looked up into the stands. The Pro Heroes there responded with smirks and challenging gestures, egging the students on to win and face them. Katsuki was eyeing All-Might with a smirk, while Shoto was purposely not looking at Endeavor. Izuka wondered which one she'd challenge if she won… no, WHEN she won!

"For the first event, we have the Obstacle Course Race!" Midnight announced. As she spoke, a portion of the arena rearranged itself into a starting line and gate. "It's a race between every member of all eleven classes! The Course is a four kilometre lap around the stadium! Our school preaches freedom, so as long as you stay on the course, everything you do is fair game! Racers, to your positions!"

The students all assembled in a crowd around the starting gate, waiting for the light to turn green and allow them to begin. Izuka stretched her limbs; this was a race, a straightforward competition, but she was still determined to win in her own way! She was a hero, so she'd win and save at the same time!

" _Mom, Dad… Watch me!"_ she thought.

"START!" Midnight yelled. In an instant, everyone ran forward, each eager to win. Almost immediately, the pace of the event slowed as the crowd got stuck in the narrow starting gate, which was essentially the first filter. With a burst of ice, Todoroki quickly got through the crowd and began skating away, leaving many of them with frozen limbs.

In the Commentary Booth, Aizawa joined Present Mic for the commentary. "IT LOOKS LIKE TODOROKI IS ALREADY MAKING A BIG SHOW!" Present Mic declared.

"He isn't the only one." Aizawa replied as most of Class 1-A rocketed out of the crowd.

"We won't let you win that easily, Half n Half!" Katsuki roared, blasting over the students. Izuka was also free, flying into the air and over the crowd (dropping off Mineta at the front as she went).

"Win and Save, that's my way!" Izuka declared, flying to the front of the crowd and melting Todoroki's ice, freeing the other competitors before she stopped to heal those that had torn their skin while struggling in the ice. By the time she was done, almost everyone had gotten ahead of her, but she didn't care. With a burst of Fire and One for All, Izuka shot up and blasted her way over the heads of her fellow competitors, catching up with Todoroki in seconds.

"AMAZING! MIDORIYA OF CLASS A HAS FREED HER OPPONENTS, HEALED THEM AND THEN SHOT ALL THE WAY TO THE FRONT OF THE PACK!"

Todoroki looked back over his shoulder, smirking as he saw Izuka keeping pace with him, "I expected our class to do well, but more got through my assault thanks to you."

"Of course! This is my style of heroism!" Izuka smirked.

Suddenly, the two heard the voice of Mineta behind them, bouncing on his orbs and doing remarkably well at keeping up with them; "Good thinking staying two steps ahead, you two! But now it's my turn! Taste my new resolve! GRAPE…!"

His words were interrupted by a robot smashing into him, more specifically, a 1 Pointer from the Entrance Exam. It sent Mineta spinning into the wall of the course, though Izuka quickly caught him and healed his injury. Unlike normal, Izuka was using only her opponents' blood to heal them, so only they got tired. Win and Save!

"WELL, HERE'S THE FIRST REAL OBSTACLE! ROBO INFERNO!" Present Mic announced.

Sure enough, the course widened from a path to a large courtyard that was absolutely teeming with the Entrance Exam Robots, including a wall of Zero Pointers. Shoto looked at them disinterestedly. "So this is what the normal students had to face? I was hoping for something more to show my power." he commented, touching his hand to the ground and summoning a wave of ice to completely freeze the Zero Pointers just as one was reaching for him. Once they were frozen, Todoroki ran through a gap between them, maintaining his first place position.

"He stopped 'em! We can get through the gap!" a Gen Ed student declared, pointing to the opening Todoroki had left.

"Don't!" Izuka suddenly yelled, "Their position is precarious, they'll fall!"

No sooner had the words left her lips did the robots begin to crumble and fall over, blocking the path and almost flattening several participants. Izuka was quick to pull them to safety, choosing to ignore Kirishima and the Silver Boy that appeared to turn to metal as the robots fell.

"AMAZING! CLASS A'S TODOROKI HAS BUSTED THROUGH THE FIRST OBSTACLE AND SABOTAGED THE OTHERS ALL IN ONE MOVE! HE'S A PRETTY COLD GUY! BUT MIDORIYA IS QUICK TO SAVE THE RUNNERS IN THE WAY! TODOROKI IS PRETTY FAR AHEAD NOW! THIS ALMOST FEELS UNFAIR!"

"Whoa! Hey, Flying Girl, how come you didn't save those two!? They're trapped under there!" one kid yelled to Izuka.

"Trapped!? They're definitely dead!" another screamed.

"AS IF!" Kirishima yelled, bursting out from beneath the robot like it was nothing but paper. "That Bastard Todoroki… If Izuka wasn't saving people, someone could have gotten hurt!"

"I think that was his plan." Izuka said, pulling the red head fully out of the fallen bot, "He knew I'd be distracted saving people, so he set this up to trap us all!"

At that moment, the Silver Boy burst out as well, his body turned to steel just as Izuka theorised.

"OH! CLASS A'S EIJIRO KIRISHIMA AND CLASS B'S TETSUTETSU TETSUTETSU BOTH GOT THROUGH WITHOUT A SCRATCH THANKS TO THEIR QUIRKS! LUCKY GUYS!"

With the shock wearing off, student after student began ploughing through the Robo Inferno, smashing and dodging robots with ease. Once Izuka saw that the people left couldn't get through on their own, she shot flaming feathers at the remaining robots, destroying the weaker ones and disabling the limbs of the Zero Pointers to allow everyone through. Once she was sure everyone could get through safely, she pushed her speed to the maximum and darted through the air to once again reach the front of the pack. Todoroki scowled as Izuka gave him a jaunty wave as she flew over his head, reaching the next obstacle. Before she got there, Tenya was suddenly on her tail, using Plus Ultra Mode to push to Sixth Gear and easily outstrip the others in speed.

"I CAN BARELY BELIEVE IT! IN A REPEAT FROM THE GATE, IZUKA MIDORIYA HAS ENSURED EVERYONE GOT THROUGH SAFELY THEN BLASTED HER WAY TO POLE POSITION! THIS GIRL IS DETERMINED TO SEE EVERYONE FINISH! WHAT DO YOU THINK, ERASERHEAD?"

"I think Midoriya is trying to show the world her philosophy… she wants to win badly, but will prioritise protecting others. It's a belief worthy of a hero." Aizawa said, his comment echoing across the stadium. In the Teacher section of the stands, Toshinori and Inko were swelling with pride.

"That's right, my girl! Show the world you're here!" Toshinori cheered. He was in his civilian form, so none but his wife and co-workers recognised him as All-Might.

"My baby is doing so well! She used to dream of this as a little girl!" Inko said, happy tears in her eyes.

Snipe, who was sitting with them nodded, "The Little Lady is really something. If she wins after helping all the others, it'll send a strong message."

As the spectators spoke, Izuka and Iida reached the next obstacle; a massive pit with a series of earth platforms connected by tight ropes. "Tenya, slow your engines down to third gear or you'll get hurt!" she yelled, having seen the pit first due to her greater height.

Tenya, knowing Izuka wasn't one for trickery, began to slow, but he wasn't able to stop before reaching the Pit and promptly fell. The bottom was full of foam cubes like those at an acrobatics gym, so falling wouldn't hurt, but Izuka wanted everyone to finish, so she had to ensure everyone crossed. Thinking fast, Izuka caught Tenya and threw him back to the start of the Pit area before setting to work. As she worked, smashing pillars and using her flames to melt them together, the rest of the year caught up and began making their own way. Tsuyu easily climbed across with her frog form, Ochako floated across, Tenya (recovering from his fall) used his engines to sort of skate across, similar to how Todoroki skated across by freezing the ropes. A Support Student with pink hair got across with hover shoes and hip-mounted cable launchers while Katsuki exploded his way across, aiming for Todoroki who had once again become the first place runner.

In the stands, the visiting heroes began to comment about the group.

"Geez, the Ice Kid is pretty dauntless."

"Yeah, I heard that's Endeavor's son!"

"Really!? But still, he is getting kind of shown up by the flying girl!"

"That Midoriya, I heard she's the Moncalama kid!"

Endeavor stood at the back of the stands, staring stoically at the screens and watching his son's progress, as well as the girl. He remembered her… she was the one he assisted in rescuing from All for One. Looks like she became a worthy rival after all, and with a quirk like that, she'd make a good match for his Shoto.

On the track, Izuka shuddered a bit as a cold feeling went up her spine. Shaking it off, she completed her masterpiece; a massive bridge. She had smashed down some of the pillars along the edge of the pit and used them to bridge the gap for the others, melting them together by heating the rock and then pulling the heat away. Izuka hadn't known she could do that before, but for some reason, it felt like a natural thing to do. It also brought an uncanny feeling, like the one she'd experienced when linking with Shoto… Ignoring this feeling and ensuring everyone could cross her bridge safely, she shot off again, this time falling a bit behind the front. She'd spent so much time keeping people from falling and making her bridge that Shoto and Kacchan had already reached the third and final obstacle; the Minefield.

"JUST AS MIDORIYA IS RUSHING BACK TO THE FRONT, THE LEADERS REACH THE MINEFIELD! THE MINES ARE PRETTY EASY TO SPOT AND DON'T PACK MUCH OF A PUNCH, BUT THEY'LL STILL KNOCK YOU ON YOUR ASS IF YOU'RE NOT PREPARED!"

Izuka blanched, "Weak or not, Landmines are just too dangerous!" she declared, shooting a wave of fire arrows in front of her, manipulating them around Shoto and into the minefield. In a massive gout of flame and pink smoke, the minefield was completely wiped out, leaving nothing but an expanse of displaced dirt and small craters.

"UH, I GUESS MIDORIYA OBJECTED TO THE MINES… SHE JUST BLEW UP THE LAST OBSTACLE! SHOTA, WHAT DO YOU TEACH THESE KIDS!?"

"Don't blame me… the mines were a dumb idea."

While the rest of the students were gaping at the loss of the final obstacle, Izuka shot passed them all, flying at breakneck speeds towards the finish line. Shoto and Katsuki raced after her and Tenya even tried to go back to sixth gear, though his hesitation cost him. In an instant, the race was over.

"WELL, WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT!? THE ONE WHO MADE IT BACK TO THE STADIUM FIRST IS NONE OTHER THAN… IZUKA MIDORIYA!" Present Mic announced.

"THAT'S MY BABY!" Inko screamed with joy, jumping up and down as Toshinori looked down proudly.

Izuka landed, happily shooting little fireworks from her fingers and bowing to the cheering audience. She was panting a bit, but she had achieved her goal. Looking up to where her father was watching her, she met his eyes and gave him a dazzling smile, a smile that said to everyone; "I AM HERE AND I WILL SAVE EVERYONE!"

Toshinori clapped loudly, his thoughts on the girl he had chosen as his successor. When he had passed One for All to her, it had been a moment of desperation. He thought he was going to die and this child was his only hope of ensuring his power would live on. She had saved his life and then gone on to really surpass his expectations. _"The Spirit of a True Hero lies within you, my beloved daughter! The Sports Festival is a competition that tests the opposite of that, focusing on competitiveness and victory over helping others. The world of Heroes has become full of selfish people seeking the top and the fame that comes with it, but not you! You showed them all, Victory through selflessness!"_

His thoughts were pulled away as a group of nearby business students discussed the girl, "Midoriya's stock is going to rise a lot from this! With a quirk like hers and a famous history, she's a shoe-in for a top position." one commented.

"Plus, as a girl she has that cute and innocent look! A novice could market that successfully, especially with market trends moving from sexy heroes to cute ones!" a second one replied.

The rest of the positions soon came in, with Katsuki narrowly getting second place over Shoto, who scored third. Tenya managed fourth, though he kicked himself for his hesitation, which Izuka was slightly happy for. In speed, he was the only one that could have easily beaten her… in a straight race, she'd have lost to him.

Present Mic continued his announcements as the last student crossed the finish line; "ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! THANKS TO OUR WINNER, IZUKA MIDORIYA, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, EVERY STUDENT HAS FINISHED THE FIRST EVENT! SADLY, ONLY THE TOP 44 CAN MOVE ON, BUT YOU ALL DID WELL!"

"Izuka!" Ochako cheered, running up to the girl with what energy she still had; "That was awesome! You blew us all out of the water!"

"Indeed, Victory despite stopping at every obstacle to help others… that is truly Heroic!" Tenya declared.

"Nah, I got kind of lucky. In an event like this, I could have won faster by just flying over everything. It wasn't really designed with flight quirks in mind… still, I think I showed what I wanted to." Izuka mumbled.

"Tch, quit being humble Deku." Katsuki frowned, "And don't get used to first place! I'll knock you down to second in the finals!"

Shoto raised an eyebrow, "I'm sure the idiot meant "congratulations." You did well and made us look silly. I was actually gearing up to use my flames on the mines when you beat me to it..."

Izuka giggled, "Well, I suppose flaming middle fingers take time to make, right?"

Shoto smirked, but his reply was interrupted by Midnight. "Okay everyone, gather round! Here is the top 44!"

The First 44 finishers turned out to be all of Class 1-A and Class 1-B, as well as the Pink haired Support Student, Hitoshi Shinso and a pair of Gen-Ed Students that had gotten lucky. Izuka felt a little bad for all the others that tried so hard and fell short, but oddly enough, many didn't seem too upset. Quite a lot even flashed her smiles as they left the arena, silently thanking her for helping them. Of course, some just glared and spat that she was a show off, but Izuka didn't care. She helped people because she wanted to help, nothing else mattered. After a few minutes of rest, Midnight announced the next round.

"The Second Event is here! The Second Event is… Cops and Robbers!" Midnight announced, pointing to the screen that had the words flashing.

"Cops and Robbers? Like the kid game?" Kaminari wondered aloud.

"At my school, they called it Heroes and Villains." Tsuyu commented idly.

"Let me explain!" Midnight shouted, "In you teams, you will assign two members as Cops, one as a Warden and one as a Chief! You goal as a team is to attack other teams and capture their Chief and use Quirk Nullifying Handcuffs to chain them to your jail, which is a post with your names on! The handcuffs all use the same key, which will be given to every team, so if your own Chief gets nabbed, you can save them! The Wardens aren't allowed to leave a ten foot circle around their jail unless knocked out of it by an enemy. Your job is to capture enemy Chiefs while protecting your own and your jail! Each Chief will wear an armband with a point score on their arms, equal to the total points of the team! Whoever has the most points captured, including their own, at the end of the time limit will win!"

Izuka smiled, she used to play this game with Kacchan before his quirk manifested. "So how are the points determined exactly?" she asked.

Midnight smirked, making Izuka suddenly very worried. "Your point value is dependent on your position in the first event! 44th place gets 5 points, 43rd gets 10 and onwards up until the top. 1st place however…. Is worth 10 Million Points!"

Izuka blinked. Yep, she was right to be worried. No matter what happened in the event, whichever team had her, either as a chief or a prisoner, would win. From a certain point of view, it made sense; more powerful villains tended to have higher bounties. Still, she didn't like how everyone was looking at her like either a target or a prize.

"There's a lot of suffering waiting for whoever's at the top! Go beyond, little eggs; PLUS ULTRA!" Midnight cheered. "Just remember, before forming your teams; no matter what happens, the event will continue until it's over! Even if your jail is destroyed or the handcuffs broken, the only rules are not to cause intentional serious injury! Anything else goes! Good luck and form your teams, you've got 15 minutes!"

Momo tapped her chin, "With 44 participants, that makes 11 teams."

"Yeah, but not everyone is good for all three roles. Some teams are going to end up with a mix of useless abilities." Sato pointed out.

When the kids actually started forming teams, it became pretty obvious who the popular ones were… Shoto, Katsuki and Izuka were swarmed by most of their classmates, all eager to team with the strongest three, especially Shoto and Izuka whose quirks would be great for most events and not just this one.

Katsuki however, ignored them all and marched over to Izuka. "Hey, we're teaming up, right?" he said.

Izuka beamed at him; "Yeah! With the two of us, we can't lose! Shoto, Momo, how about you join up with us too?"

Shoto looked back, already surrounded by his own team of Momo, Kaminari and Tenya. "I'm sorry, Izuka, but I was serious about competing with you. I want to go up against you in every event."

Momo nodded guiltily, "I do as well. I'm sorry Izuka, but I want to beat you too! I hope you can forgive your big sis!"

"I, also must face you." Tenya said, "You are a wonderful friend, but I have relied on you for too much already. I wish to be a rival to you as well as a friend, so I will fight against you here."

Izuka looked at the three, a slightly sad smile on her face. "I understand. Fight hard, because I won't go easy on you!"

Katsuki sneered, but with those three gone, it was still just him and Izuka. Most of the rest of Class 1-A was practically begging to be on their team, along with the Support Girl, so they had the pick of the lot. While Katsuki wasn't looking, Izuka easily wrangled Ochako into the team, both girls happily hugging as the other accepted them. At that moment Kirishima came over.

"Hey, Bakugou, Izuka; want to team up with me?" he asked with a smile.

"Hey, Weird Hair." Katsuki said blandly.

"My name is Kirishima! And my hair is almost the same as yours!" Kirishima yelled, "So look, Izuka's gonna be the Chief and there's no way you'll be a Warden, so you'll need a strong guy to guard our jail! With my Hardening, I could defend against anything, even your flames and explosions! No one will be jail breaking with this warden, plus you want to take down Todoroki, right?"

Katsuki smirked viciously and Izuka nodded, "Awesome! Then our team is set! I'll be the Chief, Eiji is the Warden and Kacchan and Ochako are the cops!" Together, their point total was 10,000,540 points, easily the highest.

With a confident smile, Team Midoriya gathered round to plan… it was time to win the second event!

Elsewhere in the Arena, in one of the Corporate Boxes, Hiashi Kintaro smirked down at his daughter. It wouldn't be long now… soon Izuka would be coming home to her true father, whether she liked it or not.


	17. Roaring Sports Festival Part 2

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 17: Roaring Sports Festival Part 2**

The Second Event of the Sports Festival had come far too quickly for many of the contestants, who had been forced to cobble together a team from whoever was left and then come up with some kind of plan that would suit their eclectic and ill-fitting quirks. Team Midoriya was fairly confident in their abilities; Izuka would be great for the Escaping and Defending and fairly good in Combat while Ochako would also be great for Escape and Defence, while Katsuki and Eijiro would be good for Combat and Defence. Their combination was untested, but all four were confident.

Finally, the 15 minute prep time ended and Midnight gathered the teams together, forcing whoever was left into ragtag teams. "Alright Kiddies, it's time for our Second Event: Cops and Robbers! As a quick reminder of the rules, each team has a Chief who is worth a set number of points. To earn points, you must capture enemy chiefs and lock them in your jail with special handcuffs, guarded by your team warden! Chiefs can escape or be rescued! Whoever has the most total points at the end of the timer wins! Now, let's see the teams!"

Midnight introduced each of the eleven teams, named for who was the Chief among them. Most of the teams were made up of either Class A or Class B. The only exceptions were Team Shinso, who had the General Education Student; Hitoshi Shinso as well as Ojiro, Aoyama and a Class B kid, as well as Team Hatsume, led by Mei Hatsume and boasting Tokoyami, Sero and Ashido as members. The two other Gen Ed kids, whose names had slipped Izuka's notice, were teamed with Team Mineta and a Class B team. Once the teams had been introduced to the audience, Midnight clapped her hands and the arena floor began to open up. Eleven circular platforms rose out of the ground, each with a metal beam in the centre and with a team's name on a sign attached to the top. The Platforms each had a radius of ten feet and were only a few inches above the normal ground level, making it obvious where each jail began and ended. The beams was sturdy and made of a strong metal and had several hooks and gaps embedded on them to be used to chain the captured chiefs.

"Alright! Every Team must stand on their jail!" Midnight ordered, sending the teams to find the jail with their names and stand on them, itching to fight.

"You ready, Izuka? They'll all be coming at you." Eijiro said.

Izuka nodded, "I know. If we stick to the plan, all should go well."

The moment she finished speaking, Midnight ended the countdown and screamed out: "BEGIN!"

Izuka smiled shakily, pushing down her nerves. As expected, the moment the event began, most of the Cops ran for her. They had theorised that as the Chiefs were what was important, most Chiefs would stay with their Wardens and Jails for protection, and Izuka was planning to exploit that. If they allowed themselves to be on the defensive, they'd be overwhelmed, so taking a page from Kacchan's book, she attacked. The first people to attack were the Cops from Team Hagakure and Team Tetsutetsu. Kyoka and Sato were the Cops for Toru's team, leaving Koda to act as the warden in the hopes his imposing appearance would frighten off some of Class B's teams. On the other hand, Team Tetsutetsu was throwing one of Class B's Recommendation Students; Honenuki at them, as well as Tetsutetsu himself and a boy with a headband.

"This is a fight for the Ten Million! I'm gonna knock you out Green Hair!" Tetsutetsu yelled. He was the Chief for his own team, but he was so confident in his sturdiness, he wasn't afraid to attack. The moment the small group was at the edge of Team Midoriya's jail, they finally made their move. Ochako floated to the right, Katsuki dodged to the left and Izuka flew over them, quickly surrounded the group. Kyoka tried to tie Izuka up with her jacks, but Izuka coated herself in fire and forced her to recoil. With attention fixed on Izuka, Katsuki let off a flash bang explosion, blinding the group and allowing Ochako to quickly touch Tetsutetsu, making him float up and leaving him vulnerable for Kirishima to quickly cuff him and attach him to their jail. Izuka then used a quick burst of fire to melt the lock mechanism of the cuffs the boy was attached to, making it impossible for anyone to simply unlock the cuffs. They'd have to be broken, and since they nullified the quirks of the person wearing them, it wouldn't be Tetsutetsu.

With the Cops recovering, Ochako quickly floated Kyoka, Sato, Honenuki and the headband guy (Izuka remembered his name as Yosetsu Awase) and forced them onto the jail as well. From there, the four were nearly defenceless and Eijiro, Katsuki and Izuka set about them, attacking ferociously. They were careful to attack with the purpose of knocking them out, rather than causing serious injury and Kyoka and Awase went down fast. Honenuki tried to use his softening quirk to reduce the impact, but against fire and explosions, this was a losing battle and he too was soon knocked out. Sato lasted the longest, using his Plus Ultra Mode to apply a plate of sugar armour to his insides, but in the end, he couldn't maintain his stamina against the assault and was finally brought down. While this was happening, Ochako happily walked over to Team Hagakure's jail and made Koda float shyly away so she could effortlessly capture Toru and bring her back to the jail.

"OHO! IN AN AMAZING SHOW TO TEAMWORK AND STRATEGY, TEAM MIDORIYA HAS JUST CAPTURED TWO CHIEFS AND RENDERED TWO OTHER TEAMS UNABLE TO CONTINUE!"

Meanwhile, Team Todoroki was engaged in battle with Team Mineta. Mineta was the Chief and held tightly in a shell made from Shoji's arms, as he acted as a warden. Shoji had shed two tentacles and made them into mini-clones that rode on the backs of Tsuyu and the General Ed Student that had ended up with no other team. Team Todoroki had left Kaminari as Warden, encasing the area around their jail in ice to protect it while Chief Todoroki helped attack alongside Momo and Tenya. The main challenge they were having was figuring out how to get Mineta out of Shoji's protection without causing serious harm to the large boy. Tsuyu was a distraction, unable to do more then annoy Todoroki as her attacks couldn't catch Tenya or break the shield Momo had made for herself. The General Ed Kid had a fairly weak quirk that allowed him to take any physical object and chew it like it was bubble gum, even blowing bubbles with it. Unfortunately, even though he was using rocks and dirt as gum, the bubbles he blew still only had the strength and consistency of actual gum, so while he could sort of slow down Tenya a bit, he was unable to do much else.

Finally, Shoto got bored. "Mom, Endeavor, I hope you're watching closely!" he yelled, suddenly igniting his left side. In the stands, Endeavor grinned manically as his son blasted the tentacled boy with a burst of low-temperature fire, crisping him up just enough to force him to recoil and release the Grape Boy. In an instant, Momo lassoed Mineta with some rope and tossed him to Tenya, who had him chained up at their Jail within seconds.

For a while, everything was going well. Team Todoroki and Team Midoriya both managed to capture some more Chiefs, namely Yui Kodai and Togaru Kamakiri from Class B (for Team Todoroki) and Kendo from Class B (for Team Midoriya.) All that was left was Team Midoriya, Team Todoroki, Team Hatsume, Team Monoma and Team Shinso. Team Shinso seemed happy to just stay in their Jail with no prisoners, guarding it lazily, while Team Hatsume took on Team Todoroki.

This left Team Monoma to fight Izuka's group and it seemed their leader, Neito Monoma was determined to piss off Kacchan.

Izuka first became aware of the boy when he suddenly touched her waist, making her yelp and spin around with a flaming slap, only to have it caught by Monoma, who for some reason, was undeterred by the flames.

"Hmm, nice quirk you've got." Monoma smirked, "Mind coming back to our jail? Beating up girls isn't my thing, even ones from the filthy A Class."

Izuka blushed as the boy purposely got too close, and predictably, Katsuki exploded. "BACK OFF FUCKER!" he roared, leaping at Monoma with a furious glare. Monoma smirked as his teammate, Tsuburaba, jumped in front of the explosive blond and blew an invisible shield from his mouth, which Katsuki bounced off with a glare.

Monoma smirked again; "Honestly, you 1-A kids are so stupid. We of Class 1-B have been purposely holding back so far, after all, it was obvious that Midnight wouldn't be eliminating that many of us from the first event. We hung back and let you little idiots run yourselves ragged heading for first place like a donkey chasing a carrot. And now, we have a good grasp of your quirks." he bragged.

Izuka frowned as Katsuki snarled. "All the others were trying their best to get here, and you just waltzed in without effort!?" she yelled. How many other kids could have used the spots that Class B had half-assed their way to?

"What do you care? You're already a big shot celebrity, Miss Moncalama. Why you're so special, you even survived All for One." Monoma said sarcastically, "I wonder why…"

Izuka frowned while Katsuki just about erupted with rage. He attacked quickly, getting around Tsuburaba's shield and aiming an explosion at Monoma. The cocky blond dodged to the side and put his hand on Katsuki's cheek, before suddenly releasing an explosion of his own, sending the other blond reeling back.

"What the heck!? Fire and now Explosions? What's this guy's quirk?" Ochako yelled.

"Forget it, Round Face." Katsuki growled, getting up. "He's just a fucking copy cat."

"Oho, got it have you? Though even an idiot could have gotten it in the end." Monoma mocked. At that moment, a giant yellow skinned boy with a head like a bizarre jack-O-lantern appeared and spat some kind of sticky goo at Team Midoriya's feet, binding them tightly. In the distraction, Monoma put the hand cuffs on Izuka, sealing her quirk.

"Damn it!" Izuka cursed.

Monoma smirked, "Good Job Bondo. I owe you one." he said as he used Bondo's own quirk to pull Izuka free and put her over his shoulder.

"Time's almost up and we're not likely to free Kodai from that Ice Guy, so we have to ensure at least one of our Class B guys gets through! Get Miss 10 Million out of here!" the large boy said.

Ochako and Katsuki struggled, unable to free themselves from the odd gooey cement as Monoma jogged away, Izuka struggling in her bindings on his shoulder. The Smug Blond turned back to grin at the fuming Katsuki: "Don't be too mad, you brought this on yourself after all. What was that pledge you made again? To be Number One? Seems a bit embarrassing now, right?"

Katsuki growled, "Round Face, touch me with your quirk! When I get free, shoot me at the prick!"

Ochako obeyed and reached to touch her finger pads to Katsuki's arm as the boy wriggled in the cement, not trying to escape but trying to build up a good sweat. Izuka, seeing what he was doing, gently put her hands on Monoma's face and brought her own face close, almost as if she was going to kiss him. The Class B blond smirked and was about to make another comment when Izuka's grip turned hard and she reared her head back before slamming her forehead into his. Without her quirks to augment her, the blow hurt Izuka just as much as it did Monoma, but it achieved it's purpose, stunning Monoma and forcing him to drop her. Tsuburaba was quick to catch Izuka before she hit the ground, but by then, Katsuki was prepared.

"PLUS ULTRA MODE!" he roared before turning the sweat around his ankles into nitroglycerin and detonating it, freeing him and allowing him to launch himself at Monoma and Tsuburaba. With Ochako's quirk making him weightless, he rocketed at them with breakneck speed and smashed into them both, sending them flying with massive explosions. Izuka, who seemed to still be fireproof despite the Quirk Nullifiers, was launched into the air.

"I've got you!" Katsuki yelled, jumping up to catch his girlfriend. Suddenly, Tenya shot out from seemingly nowhere and grabbed Izuka out of the air with a Recipro Burst, and before Katsuki could even process what had happened, the green haired girl was blinking confusedly as she was chained to Team Todoroki's prison alongside the other prisoners. Todoroki flashed her a grin as Tenya took a lap around the course to safely shift down from his Plus Ultra Mode. Katsuki roared and ran at the dual coloured youth, but before he got close…

"TIME'S UP!" Present Mic declared.

Katsuki yelled a string of profanities while Team Todoroki looked on slightly fearfully. From her spot at Team Todoroki's Jail, Izuka sighed. Looking around, only three jails even had prisoners and aside from Todoroki, only one other chief was free. Despite being captured, Izuka was sure her team had passed the event.

Present Mic cheered from the announcement booth: "ALRIGHT BOYS AND GIRLS, LET'S SEE WHICH FOUR TEAMS WILL MOVE ON TO THE THIRD EVENT!"

"IN FOURTH PLACE, WITH NO CAPTURES BUT SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDING THEIR CHIEF: WE HAVE TEAM HATSUME! WITH 525 POINTS, MEI HATSUME, FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI, HANTA SERO AND MINA ASHIDO WILL ALL ADVANCE TO THE NEXT ROUND!"

The four cheered happily, with Mina hugging Dark Shadow while Hatsume fiddled with some of her support items. From what Izuka could tell, their defence had all been Dark Shadow augmented with Support Items while Hatsume, Sero and Mina all tried to capture others. Unfortunately, their inconclusive clash with Team Todoroki had consumed too much time and they'd missed the chance to capture anyone. But at least they survived to the next round.

"IN THIRD PLACE, WITH THE CAPTURES OF MINETA AND MONOMA, WE HAVE TEAM SHINSO! HUH!? I THOUGHT TODOROKI CAUGHT MINETA!?"

In the arena, Shinso smirked and shrugged. "Todoroki wasn't watching his jail too closely. I just took advantage of that. Plus, Mr Explosion from Class A sent that Monoma guy flying right at me."

"AH! WELL REGARDLESS, WITH 1040 POINTS, HITOSHI SHINSO, YUGA AOYAMA, MASHIRAO OJIRO AND NIRENGEKI SHODA ALL MOVE ON TO THE THIRD ROUND!"

For some reason, when Izuka looked at Team Shinso, most of them outside of Shinso himself looked dreadfully confused as to what just happened, though Ojiro was shooting angry glares at Shinso.

"IN SECOND PLACE, WITH THE CAPTURES OF HAGAKURE, TETSUTETSU AND KENDO, BUT THE LOSS OF THEIR OWN CHIEF, IS TEAM MIDORIYA! THEY MANAGED A SCORE OF 1430 POINTS, SO IZUKA MIDORIYA, KATSUKI BAKUGOU, OCHAKO URARAKA AND EIJIRO KIRISHIMA WILL ALL BE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT ROUND!"

Izuka was released from the quirk nullifiers and shook Todoroki's hand in congratulations before running to calm down the still fuming Kacchan. Eijiro and Ochako came running too, happy to have won though clearly a bit disappointed they hadn't managed to stay at the top. "Let's all do our best and get to the Semi Finals next round, right?" Ochako cheered.

"Heck yeah! The four of us will be the ones left fighting it out for the top!" Kirishima grinned.

Katsuki said nothing, but a comforting hug from Izuka calmed his rage enough that he wasn't in danger of actually exploding.

"AND FINALLY, AT THE TOP WITH FIRST PLACE! WITH THE AMAZING CAPTURES OF MIDORIYA, KODAI AND KAMAKIRI; WE HAVE TEAM TODOROKI! WITH A STAGGERING 10,001,634 POINTS, SHOTO TODOROKI, TENYA IIDA, MOMO YAOYOROZU AND DENKI KAMINARI HAVE ALL REACHED THE THIRD ROUND!"

Shoto clenched his left fist, allowing a small amount of fire to build there. It had only been a stroke of luck that he'd been able to capture Izuka… Tenya's quick thinking earned them the top spot, and while he was happy to have won, he had hoped to get a chance to face off directly with Izuka in a team battle. One on one, no matter what Todoroki did, he'd never be able to fight against Izuka; she was immune to fire and heat, so his left side was useless and she could demolish the coolest ice in seconds, making his right side almost as useless. A team fight was the only one he'd have a chance at, as he could use the powers of others to help.

"THE THIRD AND FOURTH EVENTS WILL BE HELD THIS AFTERNOON! UNTIL THEN, WE'LL BE HAVING AN HOUR LUNCH BREAK! SEE YOU THEN!" Present Mic announced, sending everyone off to eat and relax before the next round. All that was left was the battle tournament and the Pro Hero Exhibition Match.

Class 1-A came together as they were heading out to lunch, congratulating their winning classmates. "It sucks to lose, but congratulations on winning Mina." Tsuyu said.

Mina was less enthused; "Mei only chose me because I stand out a lot… I didn't really get to show off my strength!"

"Yeah! Like Tenya showing off a super secret move! No fair hiding it, Tenya!" Ochako complained.

"It wasn't a matter of fair. I was simply saving it for when it would be most effective. If Izuka hadn't already been cuffed, I doubt it would have worked." Tenya said, secretly quite proud he had brought victory to his team. He hoped his brother was watching!

Suddenly, a shiver went up his spine. Tenya frowned; _"where did that bad feeling come from…?"_ he thought.

At the back of the class, Izuka, Katsuki and Shoto were walking together. "Did you see Endeavor's face when you used your fire?" Izuka joked, "He looked like he just soiled his spandex! I kind of wish you'd done the flaming middle finger bit."

"I'll do it in the third event. I was more interested in watching All-Might's face. When Monoma caught you, he looked ready to smack the little bastard into the sun." Shoto grinned.

"Too fucking right! Creepy shit copping a feel! It pissed me off more than seeing Endeavor's fucking rape face." Katsuki cursed. Shoto and Izuka shuddered at that idea. "Speaking of the Flaming Shit, I think I saw your dad talking to him as they left for lunch."

Izuka raised an eyebrow; her dad and Endeavor? What could they have to talk about? Sure, her dad was fairly nice to everyone, but Endeavor? Using Kaminari's words, Endeavor's personality was like a shit steamed in sewage. She wondered what they'd have to talk about…

 **[WITH ALL-MIGHT AND ENDEAVOR]**

Endeavor stood on the stairs, glaring up at All-Might, who had just had the audacity to appear and ask him to join the Number One for some tea.

"It's been so long! Last time we talked face to face was after you helped save Young Izuka! I spotted you and thought I'd say hello." All-Might grinned. The Number One hero had left Inko so she could go see Izuka and the other students and give them lunch.

"If that's all, then get out of my sight." Endeavor snapped, turning to walk away. "As if I'd have tea with you. Ridiculous… I've gotta take a leak, so get lost!"

As Endeavor began to leave, All-Might leapt over him and landed in front of the Flame Hero; "Don't be such a party pooper! I wanted to compliment you on your son! Young Shoto did extraordinarily well today. He even used his left side, which had caused a bit of concern to us teachers. We're glad he's gotten over whatever the problem was." All-Might said cheerfully, a slightly dangerous lilt to his voice.

Endeavor's eyes narrowed; after Shoto spilled that he was the product of a Quirk Marriage and some other pointless things about his mother, All-Might had called the Flame Hero and made some not so subtle threats about what can happen to a Hero that abused their family. Endeavor had reacted furiously, but All-Might was sure the Todorokis were now safer. All-Might continued; "We're just so glad that someone is finally helping guide him down a safe and heroic path!"

"What're you trying to say?" Endeavor growled.

All-Might's smile turned angry, "I had thought to ask you for tips on training the next generation, but since it was my Izuka who helped Shoto accept his fire and trained him to use it these last two weeks, I guess I'm doing better than you are."

Endeavor was furious, but his attention was caught by something All-Might had said. "Izuka? You mean the girl we rescued? Ah yes, I seem to remember that you married her mother and adopted her. All the Top 5 Heroes were informed. How interesting..."

All-Might's eyes narrowed; "Do be careful Endeavor… she may not be mine biologically, but my daughter had inherited my sense of justice as well as both mine and her mother's fiery spirit. Be cautious how you approach her; you'll get burned."

"Is that a threat?" the Flame Hero growled.

All-Might gave him another infuriating grin; "Of course not! It's a friendly warning. Young Izuka is going to surpass me, and Young Shoto is going to surpass you. There is no place for a couple of old timers like us in the path of those two. We can either choose to push them forward from behind, stand at their side or be left in their dust. I love my daughter and value her as her own person, so I know where I'll stand when the time comes, but can you say the same? When Young Shoto is rising, will he even want you at his side? I know I wouldn't. So here's some friendly advice, hero to hero and father to father; no matter what the two of us do, we'll be inspiring those two. Think about if you want to inspire Shoto to be like you, or to be everything you aren't, because at the moment, Shoto is rising to the top by purposely NOT acting like you and from where I'm standing, he's succeeding. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go give some words of encouragement to my daughter."

And with that, All-Might left, not giving Endeavor a second look as he left the flaming hero to stew in his anger.

Endeavor snarled as he walked away. Damn that All-Might for talking down to him! Still… that Izuka Midoriya had managed to do what he couldn't and convince Shoto to end his rebellious streak by using his fire. Perhaps it was time to have a talk with her…

 **[WITH CLASS 1-A]**

When Class 1-A reached their prep room to wind down, upon opening the door, they found Inko Midoriya sitting there with a big smile on her face. "Hello everyone!" she said, waving happily.

"MAMA MIDORIYA!" they yelled, flooding into the room to surround the friendly woman. Most of the girls and a few of the softer boys gave the woman hugs, with Izuka squealing happily at her mother as the Midoriya women celebrated Izuka's reaching the third round. Even Katsuki gave the woman a hug, and Inko softly hugged Shoto too, whispering that his mother would be proud of him. Shoto felt a bit choked up at that, hugging Inko back and imagining her as his own mother. He'd go and visit her tonight, after the festival.

"Mom, not that I'm not happy to see you, 'cause you know I am, but how come you're here?" Izuka asked.

"I wanted to congratulate you all on doing so well and working so hard! You were all amazing! Don't feel bad that you didn't all reach the third round, you still did great! I spent last night making you all special lunches with your favourite foods!" Inko grinned, opening a cupboard in the room and pulling out twenty bento boxes. The class cheered and gathered around, seeing that each box was painted with a slightly cartoonish version of a Class 1-A member, painted by Inko herself who had the same artistic talent as her daughter. The boxes were special ones designed to keep what was inside hot and fresh for up to three days.

"We have some French Brioche with home made jam for Yuga, a Natto Ramen Bowl for Mina, some assorted fruit jelly for Tsuyu, Beef Stew for Tenya, Mochi for Ochako, some Pork Ramen for Mashirao, a hamburger steak for Denki, a massive beef bowl for Eijiro, Fried Tofu for Koji, my special chocolate cake for Rikido, Takoyaki for Mezo, Pepperoni Pizza for Kyoka, a tasty soy bean salad for Hanta, Apple Pie for Fumikage, some cold soba for Shoto, Caramel Cheesecake for Toru, my ultra spicy curry for Katsuki, my Mixed Berry Trifle for Minoru, an English style jam and scones for Momo and of course, my best Katsudon for my baby!" Inko said, happily handing out each meal.

The students were ecstatic and each thanked Inko as they received their meal. Koda signed his thank you and to his surprise, Inko signed back a "Your Welcome". When Koda looked shocked, Inko grinned; "I've been learning it with Izuka!" she said brightly. Koda blushed and thanked the two Midoriya Women before scurrying off to a corner to eat. Over the two week training period, Inko had gotten to know the class quite well in preparation for being their Dorm Manager (though only Izuka knew this) and had memorised their favourite foods and any dietary needs for them. It wasn't well known, but Izuka herself actually had a special diet that involved her eating up to 10,000 calories a day to sustain her body depending on how much she used her flames and One for All. Any less and she'd become lethargic and feel like she was starving, even though her Evolution made it so she could survive up to three months without food.

The Class happily chowed down, with Toshinori making an appearance in his civilian form part way into the meal. "Hello everyone! Excellent work out there today! You all did very well in the Obstacle Course and fought hard in the Second Event too! Don't tell him I told you this, but I passed the Commentary Booth and Aizawa was shamelessly bragging about you guys to Present Mic!"

1-A grinned at each other; they knew their grumpy sensei was a closet softy, but they let him think they didn't to keep things nice and calm. While Inko chattered away with the other students, Toshinori subtly asked Izuka for a quiet word in a side room.

The moment they were away from the rest of the class, Toshinori embraced his daughter, enjoying the feeling of her soft hair beneath his chin and the vague caramel-like scent that she shared with her mother. He could feel the muscles in her shoulders; his little girl was strong, hard and powerful, even with her small stature. "I am so proud of you, my girl! You blew passed my expectations! What you did in the First Event… that is going to be something people will remember and talk about for years to come! You'll be a permanent part of the U.A Sports Festival's History!"

Izuka smiled a teary smile. Toshi chuckled and pulled out a hankie to gently wipe her eyes. Both Izuka and Inko tended to express strong emotions through crying; they cried when they were happy, sad, relieved, afraid and even angry! It was truly something to be scolded by a very angry sobbing Midoriya!

"I was a bit worried you'd be disappointed that I lost the Second Event." Izuka confessed.

"Come now, you know I would never be disappointed in you. Even if you lost the first position, you where still second! You just met a challenge you weren't prepared for. Take it as a learning experience. Believe me, you could have come in last place and it still wouldn't have been able to overshadow how you performed in the race." Toshi said kindly.

"I just remembered what you said. This was my chance to show the world that I was here… that this was who I wanted to be as a hero." Izuka said, "I want to be a Hero that even my rivals can count on, that can help others and still come out on top."

Toshinori nodded, "It was the same dream I had as a young Hero in training. I became a Symbol of Peace to the people. But you have my power as well as your own. You can...no, you WILL become something so much greater than me! All-Might the Symbol of Peace from the Silver Age of Heroes will be remembered as second to Izuka Midoriya, the Symbol of a new Golden Age!"

Izuka's eyes sparkled with wonder. All-Might had shaped her entire generation… would she do the same for the next one? As she thought about it, Inko popped her head into the room and told Toshi that she was going back to their seats as the Afternoon Events would soon be beginning. Toshinori nodded and got up to join her, both Yagi-Midoriya parents kissing one of Izuka's cheeks, making her mewl like a kitten.

The two left and Izuka began heading to the Prep Room when Momo suddenly appeared in front of her, holding a strange orange uniform. Izuka looked at it blankly, especially the yellow pompoms. "Uh, Momo, what is this?"

Momo smiled, "Your outfit for the Cheerleading Event. There is supposed to be some recreational games like those at a normal sports festival and all the girls have to participate in a Class Cheer Battle while the boys have a tug of war. It's kind of embarrassing, but it's Aizawa-Sensei's orders."

Somewhere inside her, Izuka doubted that last part, but she decided to suck it up. She could see the other Class 1-A girls already dressed in the uniforms, and if it turns out it was a lie or a trick, well at least they'd all be embarrassed together. The Uniform consisted of an orange skirt and an orange tank top that stopped just below her sports bra. It also came with white socks, pink shoes and a v-shaped choker. Izuka changed quickly and grabbed the pompoms, already embarrassed. At least her modest chest wasn't as, er, bouncy as her classmates and her exposed stomach was well toned.

The Girls of 1-A headed out, the sound of Present Mic's announcements helping to drown out their embarrassed thoughts.

"BEFORE WE GET TO THE FINAL EVENT, I'VE GOT SOME GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYONE OUT OF THE RUNNING!" he announced, "WE HAVE SOME RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE ELIMINATED PARTICIPANTS! WE EVEN SHIPPED IN CHEERLEADERS FROM AMERICA TO GET YOU PUMPED UP!"

Professional Cheerleaders came running out in the same uniforms as the Class 1-A girls, but everyone else's attention was on the girls themselves, whom were all crimson faced as the deception became clear. No one else but the Professionals were in Cheerleading Outfits and it was clear from the faces of the crowd and other participants that they had been tricked.

Among the Class 1-A Boys, Mineta and Kaminari flashed each other thumbs up as Momo yelled at them; "Mineta! Kaminari! You tricked us!? They even said Aizawa-Sensei told them!" Momo slouched to the ground dejectedly, "How'd I let myself get fooled by their stupid prank…? I even used my quirk to make these uniforms…."

Ochako and Izuka sympathetically patted the Class President's back while Kyoka cursed the boys. Toru seemed to be having fun with it though, and despite being embarrassed, Tsuyu was mimicking some of the real Cheerleaders tricks and poses. Izuka made eye contact with both Katsuki and Shoto, both of whom were blushing furiously. Suddenly, with a roar, Katsuki took off his jacket and shirt.

"You Pervy Fucks want Fan service, then I'll give you fucking fan service!" the now bare chested Katsuki yelled, before running at Kaminari. The Electrical Boy shrieked like a girl as his shirt and jacket were pulled off as well. Tenya, apparently seeing what Katsuki was intended, took off his own shirt, spouting off a speech about showing solidarity with his classmates. Kirishima smirked and did so as well, along with Ojiro and after a few seconds of heated glaring from Katsuki, Shoto sighed and relented. Attention was equally divided between Class 1-A's girls and the six half naked boys. The Girls cheered throughout the Recreational Games while the Boys flexed and posed, much to the pleasure of the female audience. Toshinori was in his Hero Form, shooting death glares at everyone who was looking at his daughter, while Inko just giggled and privately admired how good Izuka actually looked in that uniform… maybe she should ask Momo to make one for her to enjoy with Toshi...

During all this, Katsuki moved to stand beside Izuka, leaning over to whisper huskily into her ear; "Keep that uniform."

Izuka turned beet red and squeaked, but nodded as well. Attempting to get some revenge and flirt back, she leaned over, "Ditch yours."

Katsuki blushed, but grinned as well. The flirting was fairly harmless; the two wouldn't be going that far, but it still made both teens feel happy that they were seen as desirable by their other halves.

Finally, the Recreational Events (which had consisted mostly of things like Tug of War, Relay Races, Bread Eating Contests, beanbag throwing and a scavenger hunt) came to an end and Midnight called the 16 Remaining Participants to assemble in front of her.

"It's now time!" she announced, giggling at the kids from Class 1-A who were still undressed/dressed as cheerleaders. "The Third Round begins now! As you all knew it was going to be; it's the One-on-One Battle Tournament!"


	18. Survivors Guilt

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 18: Survivors Guilt**

The Crowd roared with excitement at the announcement of the Battle Tournament. It was a staple of the Sports Festival and the event that really let the participants show off their individual strengths without being easily overshadowed by their teammates like in the second event or the mass of contestants like in the first event. All 16 Finalists were pumped up and ready to show their stuff.

Midnight smiled and picked up a box with the word "Lots" written on it. "The Match-Ups will be decided by drawing lots! Once that's settled, we'll get the Tournament underway! It's up to each of you to decide how far you're willing to go! Let's start with the first place team..."

"Uh, Excuse me." Ojiro suddenly interrupted, raising his hand. Izuka turned to look at him, noticing the disappointed look on his face. "I'd… like to drop out."

Izuka blinked "What!? Ojiro, why!?"

"Come on man, this is our chance to get noticed by the Pros!" Kirishima yelled.

Ojiro clenched his fist. He looked to be pained by his decision but unable to change it. "I have no memories of the last event… I just woke up at the end with a winning position. It's probably because of HIS quirk..." his eyes flicked to Shinso, who looked away disinterestedly.

"I know this is a great opportunity and I know how stupid it sounds to just throw that away… but everyone else worked hard to get here with their own strength! And yet here I am standing here without even knowing how or why! I'm sorry, but I can't accept that!"

Toru gestured wildly, "You're thinking about it too hard! Just show your skills in the tournament!"

"Yeah, Toru's right! By that logic, I shouldn't be here either." Mina pointed out.

Ojiro's hand covered his face, "I can't! This is about my pride!"

The other boy from Shinso's team: Nirengaki Shoda spoke up, "I can't remember anything either… I want to withdraw as well. This is a contest of skill, so it'd be against the spirit of the Sports Festival to let someone who didn't do anything get to the finals."

Kirishima wiped away a tear; "Damn, these guys are so manly!"

"WELL, WE HAVE A STRANGE TURN OF EVENTS! LET'S SEE WHAT MIDNIGHT DECIDES!"

Midnight seemed to glare down at the two boys; "You're both so naive..." she cracks her whip, "THAT TURNS ME ON! Shoda and Ojiro are officially withdrawn!"

The others blinked, trying to figure out what Midnight had just said. "Replacing these two… hmm, I was going to suggest members of Team Monoma, since they were the last team to have their chief captured in the last event, but I heard that little quip about not doing your best in the First Round! So instead, I'll be replacing Ojiro and Shoda with the two students with the highest score from the Obstacle Race! That's Ibara Shiozaki and Juzo Honenuki!"

On the edge of the arena, Monoma scowled and Katsuki smirked at him. Even Izuka felt a bit of vindictive pleasure; serves him right for not doing his best! The two additional finalists ran to replace Ojiro and Shoda, and the group drew lots, showing them to Midnight. She hummed and pushed some buttons on her phone, then smiled. "Now with our number of finalists back to 16, here are the match ups for the First Round!" Midnight declared, showing the match ups on the big screen.

First Match: Midoriya VS Shinso

Second Match: Kaminari VS Iida

Third Match: Kirishima VS Yaoyorozu

Fourth Match: Sero VS Shiozaki

Fifth Match: Ashido VS Uraraka

Sixth Match: Todoroki VS Aoyama

Seventh Match: Tokoyami VS Hatsume

Eighth Match: Bakugou VS Honenuki

Izuka blinked in surprise, she'd only face Katsuki or Shoto if they fought all the way to the finals, and assuming they won their matches, Katsuki and Shoto would be facing off in the semi-finals. But before that, Izuka had to win her first match against… "Shinso. He was Ojiro's teammate..." she whispered

The boy walked behind her, "So, Midoriya. Guess we're up first." Shinso said lazily.

Izuka was about to reply when suddenly her mouth was covered by a furry tail. "Midoriya!" Ojiro yelled, "Don't answer him!" the boy stooped to whisper to the girl; "If he speaks and you answer, he can take control of your mind!"

The girl gasped, suddenly feeling a bit unnerved. She was far too used to having someone try and brainwash her; it made her pale and feel a little sick at the idea of it. But no, this would be different; Shinso was nothing like All for One after all. There was no way it would be anything like it was back then. Either way, she wanted to keep quiet just in case.

As the finalists looked at their first opponent, Cementoss created the battle arena, as well as a stand for Midnight and a throne for himself. During this, Present Mic explained the rules; "THE RULES ARE SIMPLE! YOU WIN BY KNOCKING YOUR OPPONENT OUT OF THE RING, KNOCKING THEM UNCONSCIOUS OR IMMOBILISING THEM. OF COURSE, YOU CAN ALSO FORCE THEM TO SURRENDER. SO LONG AS YOU DON'T TRY TO KILL OR PERMANENTLY HARM YOUR OPPONENT THEN ANYTHING GOES!"

As the first match up, Izuka and Shinso stepped into the ring, facing each other and readying for a fight. The two stared at one another, waiting for the match to begin. "I wonder why they even give the option for us to drop out and surrender." Shinso said idly, his lazy expression suddenly appearing more serious, or even sinister in the shadows thrown by the flames at the corners of the ring (Izuka idly noted they weren't real, but holographic so as not to give her an advantage while still maintaining the appropriate ambience).

"After all, someone aspiring to be a Hero can't just give up whenever they like and leave the civilians to fend for themselves… Like some stupid monkey babbling about his pride."

Izuka growled angrily as Midnight screamed: "START!"

Shinso glared, "What kind of dumbass gives up for such a pathetic reason?"

Izuka charged at him, "Don't insult my friend!" she yelled, preparing to throw a punch only to suddenly feel her body lock up. Her eyes glazed over, like there was nothing behind them.

Shinso sighed, "It's my win."

In the stands, Ojiro cursed; "Damn it! Midoriya, I warned you!"

"Hey, shut the fuck up Tails! She was defending your fucking honour!" Katsuki scowled, "If this guy's quirk really is Brainwashing, then it better be really fucking powerful to work on Izuka."

The rest of Class 1-A looked at the boy strangely, but he just tilted his head, gesturing for them to watch the fight. Down in the arena, Shinso was just idly watching Izuka, who was still blank eyed and seemed to be staggering a bit in place, almost like she was drunk and unable to keep herself upright properly. Shinso raised an eyebrow at the odd response, but his control was still in place, so he spoke confidently.

"You know, Midoriya, you're a lot luckier than you think. A lot of General Education Students have quirks that are even better suited to Hero Work than the ones in the current Hero Course. Imagine how someone like Eraserhead, Recovery Girl, or Midnight would pass the current Practical Entrance Exam? All of them have incredible powers and great careers, but if they'd been born in our generation, they'd have been thrown to the side for the sake of you flashy combat types." Shinso said bitterly. "But this is my chance… Someone like me, with this Villain's Quirk will become a Hero. Now be a good girl and turn around, then walk out of the ring." he ordered.

Izuka staggered again. From the moment she had spoken out, a bizarre fog had descended over her mind… a fog that was extremely familiar, yet felt more serene and less chaotic. More like a gentle mist over a cool mountain spring as opposed to the dense, smoky fog she was used to. This power… it felt so much like All for One's Brainwashing Quirk. The moment her subconscious mind realised this, her brain went into full defence and Izuka felt the familiar barriers of her mental fortress snapping and clunking into place, keeping the mist out. Izuka hadn't needed her barriers since she'd been rescued and through the five years of therapy with Doctor Miragi Nekozawa, she had disassembled the fortress and extracted the memories sealed within, reintegrating and accepting them as well as the trauma that came with it. Through it all, Izuka could hear Shinso's words and felt understanding; how frustrating must it have been to have his dream set back because he couldn't fight robots? If Izuka had been in charge, she'd have given him a Recommendation after seeing his quirk! It was just so useful, even though it was scarily similar to the power used by All for One.

As the final barrier clicked into place, Izuka finally obeyed Shinso's orders. She spun on her heels, but before taking a single step, she shuddered and turned back, looking at the purple haired boy with eyes that shone with crystal clear clarity.

Shinso's stoic expression broke as his eyes widened, "How? How did you snap free of my control?"

Izuka didn't answer right away and instead began stretching, working out the disoriented feeling in her muscles from the momentary lack of control. It really was odd; like she had pins and needles all over. Shinso sneered, "Nothing to say for yourself?"

"Ah, sorry. My head still feels a little fuzzy." Izuka said with a friendly smile, shaking her head. Shinso grinned as he felt his control slip back over the girl, only to almost immediately slide off, like rain against a window.

"What the hell!? Why isn't my quirk working!?" Shinso growled.

Izuka gave a sheepish smile, "Sorry, but I'm sort of used to this kind of quirk. It won't work on me."

"Tch, you really are naturally blessed aren't you! First you have an incredible quirk and now you're immune to mine? It must be nice to have everything handed to you!" Shinso roared.

The girl frowned, "This immunity didn't come easily. It's something I developed while held captive by All for One. Without it, I'd have been turned into his slave. He had a really effective Brainwashing Quirk just like yours, but it relied on touch. It was stifling and hard to resist even when I gradually became immune. Yours is actually refreshing, almost like a pleasant dreamy haze. My point is, I may be blessed, but that blessing came with a lot of curses."

Shinso paused. The quirk All for One used to brainwash her… it sounded a lot like his uncle's. He could also control people, but relied on touch rather than a verbal reply. His uncle had been kidnapped and was one of All for One's victims, before Izuka herself was taken, so it was a good chance it was the same quirk. With a defeated sigh, Shinso looked Izuka in the eye, "Well, I guess if my quirk doesn't work, I have no chance." he said, before suddenly charging at her, "But I won't surrender! I'll go down fighting!"

Izuka smirked and took her own stance, answering Shinso's somewhat clumsy first punch with a block and a low kick to the knee, knocking the boy down to his knees and leaving him open for a light kick to the sternum which sent him reeling back a few inches. The boy coughed violently and looked up, glaring at the girl.

"Don't give me any fucking pity! Use your damn quirk!" he yelled.

"No. You can't use yours, so I won't use mine. This isn't pity; I'm answering your heroic resolve by fighting you as an equal! You said you wanted to be a hero right? So show us all by fighting your hardest!" Izuka declared, still in her stance.

Shinso just stared at the girl astonished. She was giving him a chance… a real, fair chance to show what he was made of. Shinso shakily got to his feet and took up a loose stance of his own. After his uncle was taken, he had been enrolled in martial arts lessons, but he'd never really taken to it. He'd kept it up through sheer determination, but it was clear to him that he was outmatched. Izuka was smaller and had a shorter reach, and no doubt she'd punch weaker than Shinso, but the girl's legs were powerful and she was fast and agile. By the time he landed a punch, she'd have hit him with two kicks. Still, he wouldn't surrender; with all the guts he could muster, he threw himself into the fray.

"OH! WHAT'S THIS? IT LOOKS LIKE MIDORIYA AND SHINSO HAVE DECIDED TO FOREGO QUIRKS AND HAVE A MARTIAL ARTS SHOWCASE! LOOK AT THEM DOWN THERE, THEY REMIND ME A LITTLE OF YOU, ERASER!" Mic announced.

"You're an idiot, Mic. But in this instance, you're not wrong. Shinso especially is similar to my style." Aizawa retorted.

Izuka and Shinso clashed, showing their martial arts prowess in an exquisite dance of punches, kicks, grabs and dodges. Shinso led the dance, his heavier blows directing how Izuka moved as she spun around, dodging some, blocking others and allowing a few to graze her so she could launch a counter attack of her own. Shinso's movements were clunky and forced compared to the fluid and natural movements of Izuka, but he threw his whole spirit into every move and when Izuka failed to dodge a blow, she felt the full force of that spirit coursing through her as his fist struck her cheek hard, forcing her face to snap to the left and leaving her open to a punch to the gut that sent her to the ground. The girl grinned as she wiped away the thin trail of blood and saliva that was trickling down her chin. She was rosy cheeked and panting, smiling brilliantly as she made eye contact with Shinso, whose face and expression mirrored hers. Shinso was more damaged than she was; he was limping slightly from her earlier kick to his knee and his lip and nose were both bleeding. The imprint of Izuka's shoe was faintly visible on his cheek and it was clear from the way his body shook slightly that he was struggling to continue.

"Shit… I think I'm done..." Shinso gasped out as a sharp pain travelled through his ribs. "I know when I'm beaten."

Izuka stood up, "Then shall we end it?"

Shinso grinned; "Yeah. Do me a favour though… take me out with everything you've got. Use your quirk… make me lose in a cool way."

"Alright, but it's going to hurt!" Izuka declared, summoning her flaming wings. Focusing 5% of One for All into her fist and her legs, Izuka shot herself at Shinso, rearing back her fist for a blow. At the height of her speed, the flames of her wings focused themselves into her charged fist and she threw her punch, opening her fist at the last moment to turn it into an open palm strike. "Holy Palm!" she yelled, slamming the attack right into the centre of Shinso's torso. Shinso cringed at the searing heat, but he didn't dwell on it long as the sheer force of the blow threw him out of the arena and into the wall of the arena. There, he slipped to the ground, gasping for air and barely conscious.

"Shinso is out of the ring! Midoriya Wins and moves on to the Second Round!" Midnight declared.

Izuka sighed with relief and ran to help Shinso to his feet, healing him as she did so. The two returned to the ring and bowed to one another as a show of respect while Present Mic shouted in the background: "AFTER A FIERCE MARTIAL ARTS FIGHT, MIDORIYA ENDED THE FIGHT IN STYLE WITH A FLASHY FINISHING MOVE: "HOLY PALM"! HOLY COW, AM I RIGHT! EVERYONE PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR OUR FIERCE COMPETITORS!"

The Arena filled with applause and many heroes commented loudly on how amazing Shinso's quirk was, and that if he'd faced anyone else, he'd have won. Izuka couldn't help but agree… she felt it was unfair that he'd been faced with the one person he could do nothing against. Despite Shinso looking somewhat proud of his showing, his eyes clearly showed his disappointment.

As the audience clapped, Izuka called out to him; "Shinso… why do you want to be a Hero? Why say you have a Villain's Quirk?"

Shinso frowned, "Everyone says it. With a Quirk like mine, I could easily be a villain. Everyone I've told about it gets this look on their face and they don't want to talk any more. Even the ones who do are constantly wary about me when they speak. As for why I want to be a Hero..." he turned and began to walk away, "You can't help what your heart longs for."

Izuka watched him sadly as he walked away. What could she say…? She knew he could be a Hero, but it wasn't up to her. An epiphany hit her; if she couldn't make the decision, she could speak to the people who did! "Miss Midnight! Can I please borrow your microphone?" she asked, politely but urgently.

Shinso paused and looked back, raising his eyebrow. Midnight looked equally confused; "Not going to give a victory speech are you?" she said, half teasingly.

"N-No! But it is important." Izuka replied. Midnight just shrugged; she knew Izuka wasn't the type to do something bad, so she handed the mic over.

Tapping it awkwardly, Izuka shyly brought it to her mouth; "Um, is this thing on? Can you all hear me?" the crowd gave an affirmative cheer, all of them interested to see where this would go. "Uh, okay! I'm Izuka Midoriya and I've got something to say! I'm kind of bad at public speaking, so f-forgive me if I stutter or mess up! It's probably really presumptuous for me to do this, and I know I don't have the power to do this, but I have to say what I feel."

She took a deep breath and spoke, "I, Izuka Midoriya, Vice-President of Class 1-A, would like to recommend Hitoshi Shinso for transfer to the Hero Class 1-A!"

That certainly got a loud reaction as the audience began screaming and cheering their agreement, including several U.A teachers, Pro Heroes and even most of Class 1-A itself. "Class 1-A has an open slot now and I feel that of everyone I've seen, Shinso deserves it the most! Not only does he have an amazing quirk, but he has a Hero's Spirit!"

Shinso stared at Izuka like she'd lost her mind as the girl bowed to the crowd and handed the microphone back to Midnight, before running over to him and throwing his hand in the air like he'd just won a boxing match or something. The Audience was still cheering… not for Izuka, but for HIM! All those Heroes were loudly proclaiming that they wanted him as their Sidekick and would be sending offers for Work Experience regardless of which course he's in. Even his fellow Gen Ed Classmates, who knew his dreams, were cheering.

"AMAZING! IN AN AWESOME SHOW OF SPORTSMANSHIP AND CAMARADERIE, MIDORIYA HAS THROWN HER SUPPORT BEHIND SHINSO FOR A TRANSFER TO THE HERO COURSE! I'VE GOT TO AGREE TOO! SHINSO, YOUR BOY PRESENT MIC WILL BE ADDING HIS NOMINATION TO HERS!"

"I will as well. I have an empty seat in my class and I can spot talent." Aizawa said, slightly more enthused than Izuka had ever heard him.

Shinso could hardly believe it. "Why would you do that?" he asked, disbelief in his voice. This had to be some kind of trick, or long game for the girl! Why else would she do it.

But no, Izuka just fixed him with her shiny doe eyes, slightly confused by his question, as if the answer should be obvious. Her nose twitched a bit, reminding the boy of a rabbit. "Well, 'cause you want to be a Hero and I think you'd be a great one. You could help a lot of people with your quirk, and after all the stuff you said about "knocking us down from our pedestals", I figure you really care about that and not fame or wealth or whatever."

Shinso couldn't help it, he laughed. It started as an amused chuckle and quickly evolved into a deep, rumbling laugh from the depths of his stomach. Izuka just assumed he thought she was crazy, speaking for him after kicking his butt, and she giggled at the idea, leaving both teens laughing as they went to Recovery Girl. The Youthful Heroine wasn't as amused and swiftly bonked both of them on the head.

"Honestly! Going and ending it like that! Izuka, I've warned you not to use your healing on things that I can easily handle!" she scolded as she began checking over the two.

"I know, but I wanted us both to stand proud when we left! It would hurt Shinso's chances if he was seen hobbling out while I was fine!" Izuka weakly argued. "Besides, I sort of used his blood to heal him and only used my blood to heal myself."

"So your healing uses blood? Good to know I suppose, but why not use mine to heal yourself?" Shinso asked. He was a bit surprised that the girl was familiar enough with Recovery Girl for the hero to use her first name.

Izuka looked scandalised at the very idea, like Shinso had just said something highly inappropriate while Recovery Girl snorted, "This child has never once used another's blood to heal herself. She can, she just refuses."

"Of course not! A Hero can't selfishly damage the health of others for their own sake! The idea of healing myself with someone else's blood..." Izuka shuddered violently, "That sounds awful!"

Shinso laughed again, more subdued this time. They fell into comfortable silence and idly watched the next match between Kaminari and Iida on the monitor in the Nurse's Office. Recovery Girl would occasionally tut or mutter a complaint, before eventually leaving to grab something, leaving the two teens to talk.

"Hey Midoriya, does this make us friends?" Shinso asked.

"I don't know what you mean by "This" but sure! I'd like to be friends!" Izuka chirped.

"This" as in the whole fight and you helping me out." Shinso explained, "And since we're friends, I'm calling you Izuka. Midoriya is a mouthful. You can call me Hitoshi if you want."

Izuka giggled at the boy's somewhat rude declaration, but it wasn't like she'd have objected to Hitoshi using her name. Of course, she was also giggling for another reason: "You know, I thought about asking if I could call you Toshi for short, but that's my dad's nickname!" she briefly considered telling Hitoshi about who her dad was, but decided to save that for now. After all, if he joined Class 1-A like she hoped, she'd have to tell him everything anyway.

"Talking of families, I wanted to ask you something. It's kind of awkward, but can you tell me a bit more about that quirk, the one you said All for One tried to control you with?" he asked.

It didn't take a herculean amount of thought to figure out why he was asking that. A Brainwash Quirk similar to his, and he brought up in regards to family? "I don't know the details of what it was called or what it did exactly. I also don't know who he got it from. All I know was that when he used it, I'd feel uncomfortable and clammy, stifled by a strange fog in my head and it would make it hard to think or act. It made All for One's voice almost sound like my own thoughts, urging me on. It was convincing and I sort of moved around in a haze, only loosely aware of what was happening. I was able to snap free if I really tried, but resisting the orders would hurt a lot." Izuka explained. Hitoshi seemed pensive, so she gently questioned him; "Did… did you lose someone to him?" she asked.

Hitoshi nodded solemnly; "My Uncle. It happened in a similar fashion to your story, from what I hear. He and I were in a park and I started sinking into the ground. He grabbed me and threw me out of the way, vanishing when I turned back. No one saw what happened and I wasn't aware of what was making me sink or where my Uncle vanished too. Next I heard of him, he was named as a victim of All for One after you were kidnapped."

Izuka's stomach twisted painfully. Was it possible Hitoshi and his Uncle were targeted because of her? Because All for One was seeking a way to control her? "W-When did this happen?" she asked fearfully.

"About three months before you were taken. Early March of the same year."

Izuka was relieved; at least it wasn't her fault, though that didn't really make her feel any better. Hitoshi's Uncle was either killed and disposed of by Tomura, or his body was made into a Noumu. There was no other option if he was confirmed deceased. "I see…"

Hitoshi sighed, "Look, I'm only telling you this out of courtesy, since we're friends now, but my family was kind of torn over you. My Gramps is a grumpy old guy, a real relic of his time and he was pissed about the whole situation. He was furious that his son disappeared and no one seemed to care, but when you vanished, it triggered a manhunt. He didn't care that yours was the only kidnapping with a confirmed lead, since that Warp Villain was actually seen taking you. It got worse when it was discovered you lived and my Uncle didn't. When I got into U.A, he pretty much forbid me to speak to you… of course, he's half-senile and is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. My dad on the other hand is just happy someone survived. He and my Gramps got in a fight because Dad made a toast to you one night. He's a great guy, my Pops; if he watched today's match, I can guarantee he's your fan now."

Izuka nodded along in understanding. She was a bit upset that Hitoshi's Grandfather seemed to blame her for his son's death, but she supposed that it was the actions of a grieving father. "What about you? What did you think?"

Hitoshi smirked and flicked Izuka's nose like she was a naughty kitten; "I decided to wait and see. Can't make a fair judgement on someone I've never met before. I decided you're interesting and a good person, so I'm happy for us to be friends if you're cool with it. Don't like your boyfriend though… I think you need a new one." he teased.

Izuka went crimson and actually recoiled so far back that she tipped her chair backward and tumbled into a cabinet. "U-Uh, Hitoshi, Um, I'm flattered, but…!"

"Not me, Dumb Kitten." Hitoshi groaned, as if his pet cat had gotten into the cat nip or something. "Don't get me wrong, you're cute and all, but it's like the cuteness of a kitten or a puppy, you know? It makes me want to pet and tease you, but that's it."

The Green Haired girl shyly picked herself up and tidied the small mess she'd made in her fall, grumbling under her breath. First Kacchan calls her a Little Rabbit, then the Class calls her Adorable Cinnamon Bunny, Tomura calls her Little Bird and now Hitoshi was comparing her to a kitten! What was it about her that made people think about cute and baby animals? She idly looked in the reflection of the glass cabinet and tried to pull a scary face, only succeeding in looking like an annoyed pout, which made Hitoshi burst into laughter again.

"Honestly… you act like an angel, especially with those wings." Hitoshi had smirked.

Shortly thereafter, the two seperated, heading to watch the rest of the matches with their classmates, though Hitoshi jokingly tried to Brainwash Izuka again and ordered her to win. The moment she reached the Class 1-A box, Kacchan grabbed her and seated her beside him, or more accurately, on his lap vaguely angled at the seat beside him. His eyes demanded answers, but Izuka kissed his nose and he calmed down; Katsuki always knew he could trust Izuka to tell him everything at the proper time. "Did I miss much?" Izuka asked.

"Nah, It's pretty fucking boring." Katsuki complained; "Glasses is just running and dodging Sparky's lightning attacks and trying to wait it out until the idiot reaches his limit and zaps himself retarded. His Limit is a lot higher, but it's still there." he commented.

Sure enough, the fight between Kaminari and Iida was like a game of Electric Cat and Very Fast Mouse. Tenya wasn't using Plus Ultra Mode, relying on only his normal limits and the occasional Recipro Burst to dodge Kaminari's attacks. On the other hand, Kaminari was using his Plus Ultra Mode a lot, throwing small darts of electricity. It looked like he was just throwing them randomly and hoping to hit Iida during a dodge, but on closer examination, it seemed he was actually trying to bait Tenya into running towards the edge so Kaminari could force him to topple over by taking advantage of Tenya's inability to easily make sharp turns. Kaminari was keeping his lightning focused into small size projectiles to make sure he didn't accidentally go over his watt limit, but he was still fighting too recklessly, using Plus Ultra Mode for so long. It wouldn't be long before he crashed…

Sure enough, just as Izuka thought it, Kaminari fell to one knee, the electric darts he'd formed dissipating as he lost his control of them along with Plus Ultra Mode. "D-Damn… I was so close to finishing too..." he groaned, blackness appearing in the corner of his vision. Neither Izuka nor Tenya noticed it until the Plus Ultra Mod ended, but the darts that had missed were still embedded where they landed. They had all disappeared now that Kaminari had lost control, but if he had managed to throw a few more, he would have been able to complete his plan; creating a web of lightning by causing the electricity to arc from one dart to the next in an impossible to predict pattern. It would have stopped Tenya from moving and leaving him open to a big shock which would have won the fight for Kaminari. Sadly, Plus Ultra Mode simply used too much stamina and Kaminari collapsed, passing out before he could complete his plan.

"He underestimated the drain of the Plus Ultra Mode." Izuka said sadly as Midnight declared Iida the winner. That meant that Izuka and Tenya would fight in the first match of the second round. Kaminari was carried to Recovery Girl's office as Class 1-A cheered for him and Tenya, who bowed in respect of his opponent and joined his classmates in their box.

The next fight was between Eijiro and Momo. The moment the fight began, Momo created a shoulder mounted rocker launcher and blasted Eijiro with a salvo of low-powered rockets. Eijiro grinned and hardened his body, taking the first rocket without a flinch. The second rocket caused him to cough and choke on the smoke and dust that was kicked up in the explosion, and he noticed he had been pushed back a little. The last few rockets were swept aside with ease with a few well-timed swipes from Kirishima's hardened hands, but before he could counter attack, Momo was already making another weapon. It was the same style of weapon; a rocket launcher, though this one only fired a single, much stronger explosive. Knowing Momo as he did, Eijiro correctly assumed she'd have perfectly adjusted the weapon to knock him out, using her last attack as a basis for her calculations, so the moment that explosive was launched at him, he activated Plus Ultra Mode and turned his body to it's maximum hardness, making him take his red diamond appearance. The explosion hit him with a lot more force than he'd expected, and while it didn't leave a scratch on his diamond hide, he could feel his teeth and bones rattle from the force. The force of the explosion had sent him skidding back right to the edge of the ring as well!

Momo grinned, "Another one like that with a little more force and I win!" she declared, casting aside her weapon and once again making a new one. Kirishima dashed back to his starting position, carefully timing how long it took Momo to finish her creation. He smirked; it was a couple of seconds, meaning that if he tanked this last blow, he'd be able to charge in and knock Momo out before she could make another weapon.

"I won't be moved so easily!" Eijiro declared, kicking off his shoes and then jumping and slamming down with his hardened feet and hands, embedding his limbs into the concrete by a good few inches. No matter how strong Momo made her explosive, he wouldn't be budged. Momo took the shot and Kirishima, to his shame, noticed her smirk a second too late. Instead of exploding, the missile she shot split open, revealing a large net with extremely sharp hook-shaped pegs at each corner. The net trapped him and the hooks dug into the ground even more deeply than Kirishima himself. The net was heavy, and when Kirishima pulled a hand free to tug at it, he found he couldn't bite or cut it with his sharpened fingers.

Momo smiled, "A special Carbon Fibre blend that I created. I made it to trap foes on the level of the Noumu we fought at the USJ, so I doubt you'll escape."

Kirishima groaned; he'd been played. Momo had controlled the fight from the beginning and now there was no way he could escape; the hooks were buried too deeply and the moment he tried to dig them out, Yaoyorozu would have something to smack him with, rendering him useless. Midnight came to the same conclusion: "Kirishima is immobilised and cannot continue! Yaoyorozu wins and advances to the next round!"

The Audience cheered and Class 1-A congratulated their two classmates. It was at that moment that Izuka finally looked up, beyond where the teachers sat, to the spectators boxes for VIPs and Support Companies. Her parents were sat at the opposite end of the arena, so Izuka hadn't looked up to these boxes yet, but the moment she did, she felt ice build in her veins.

There, watching her with a smile and an odd glint in his eyes, was Hisashi Kintaro; her birth father.


	19. Shadows of a Father's Flame

**IMPORTANT:**

 **I've posted a special chapter in this story to a separate fic! Check it out on my profile!**

* * *

 **The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 19: Shadows of a Father's Flame**

Izuka felt her breath hitch, her entire focus on the man watching her from one of the VIP Boxes. She should have known; of course he would be here! Kintaro Quirk Solutions was one of the top five support companies in Japan, and her Uncle Haru had sent along a letter stating he'd be on a Business Trip to Europe during the Sports Festival, so he wouldn't be able to watch in person. Izuka and her mother had just assumed some random suits on the Kintaro Board would be coming to watch instead; neither had imagined Hisashi would be turning up! Ever since their encounter in the hospital after Izuka was rescued, he had kept his distance and made no attempts to contact the Midoriyas, apparently taking All-Might's warning seriously.

But now here he was, watching Izuka with that strange smile that always made Izuka wonder what he was thinking when she was a little girl. Without a word, Izuka slipped out of Class 1-A's box and ran off, planning to warn her mother and father, in case Hisashi tried anything. Most people had their attention on Sero and Shiozaki, who were making their way to the arena for their fight, so no one but Shoto and Katsuki noticed Izuka leaving. Katsuki subtly followed her at a distance, just to make sure she was okay, while Shoto had looked to where Izuka had stared before running off. The box she'd been staring at was just full of businessmen, none of them of any interest. Suddenly, he recognised the logo on the banner above the box; the logo of the Kintaro Group. Shoto's eyes widened; Izuka had told him about her birth father when he confessed his own issues. He decided to follow Bakugou at a more sedate pace, just in case his help was needed.

Izuka was practically sprinting to the part of the stands where her parents were sat, even using a bit of One for All to increase her speed. Just as she turned a corner, Hisashi was suddenly there, right in front of the door she needed to access. Izuka gulped; the route from the Class Boxes to her parents' seats was kind of convoluted due to the differing level, but for Hisashi, it had just been a leisurely walk and a single flight of stairs.

"Izuka, it is good to see you." Hisashi said, smiling pleasantly.

"Hisashi! What are you doing here!?" Izuka yelled. The noise of the crowd cheering Sero and Shiozaki's fight made it next to impossible for anyone in the stands to hear her.

The man frowned a bit, a look of pain and anger on his face as his daughter referred to him by name. However almost as soon as the expression was there, it was gone again. "I came to finally see my daughter again… though I suppose I've been replaced. I heard your mother remarried, but I'll admit, I was a little surprised to see it for myself."

"Don't act like you cared! Mom was just a tool for you, same as I was." Izuka shot back.

"I suppose it must have seemed that way to you. Believe it or not, I really did love your mother; the time I spent with her was some of the best in my life." Hisashi looked wistful, "I made a big mistake in abandoning her, and you. My father, your grandfather raised your Uncle Haru and I to believe quirks were the only measure of a person's worth… Haru rebelled, but of course, his quirk was so amazing that even with his rebellion, I could never surpass him in father's eyes. When he learned I had a Quirkless Child and your mother couldn't carry another, he demanded I divorce her and abandon you. He poked at my pride and in my anger and arrogance, I did exactly what he wanted. I tried finding another partner, but I could never replace your mother in my heart."

Izuka growled, "Why should I believe you!? If any of that was true, why did you act like a monster when you came to see me in Hospital all those years ago? Why treat Mom so badly and try to take me away from her!?"

Hisashi sighed deeply, eyes welling up in regret. "I let my pride speak instead of my heart. Call me an idiot if you want, but I heard about how Haru had kept in contact with your mother… I was jealous. I knew Haru would never try anything, he loves his husband too much, but I just saw him as trying to take you and your mother while I had thrown you aside. When I saw an opportunity to reclaim you without losing face, I jumped on the chance… unfortunately I jumped in too soon and without thinking and it all went to hell. I would have tried again, more peacefully, but I was afraid of All-Might."

"And is that why you're here now? To try and reclaim me again?" Izuka asked bitterly.

Hisashi opened his mouth to argue, but shut it again with a clack of teeth. He took a deep breath and fumbled in his pocket; "No… I know I don't deserve to have you back. I saw you out there, and heard what you did for that Shinso kid. You've grown up well without me. Your Mom and new father has done a wonderful job. I just wanted to talk to you again, tell you what I wanted to all those years ago, and give you this." he pulled his hand out of his pocket and handed a small box to Izuka.

At his urging, Izuka took it and carefully unwrapped the white paper and pretty pink ribbon to reveal a small box containing a pair of earrings. The earrings were made of platinum shaped into studs with a white petal motive and given a special coating to make them heavily heat resistant. "I had them especially made." he said as Izuka examined them with a strange expression of both joy and sadness.

As Izuka gently ran her finger over one, she remembered something from long ago, when she was only three years old. Hisashi had taken her to see a Hero Parade and one of the floats had scattered these pretty white flowers that were a bit like a cross between Daisies and Cherry Blossoms. They'd been made by a Hero's Quirk and weren't a real breed of flower, so Izuka had never seen them before or since, but Hisashi had caught one and put it in her hair. Izuka still had that flower somewhere; pressed between the pages of a book. She hadn't opened that book since the day her father abandoned them. Her chest hurt… Izuka almost wanted to forgive her father, wanted to believe he was telling the truth and as far as she could tell, he was, but she couldn't just forgive or forget the hateful words he'd said as he abandoned her, or the way he'd threatened her mom when she refused to go with him at the Hospital.

"I...I..." she tried to formulate the words, but she just couldn't. Hisashi smiled softly and patted her head, nostalgia in his eyes as he enjoyed the feel of those soft curls.

"It's fine. You may not be able to forgive me, or call me father any more, but know that I still love you, and that I'm rooting for you. Just promise to wear those earrings, and become a wonderful hero."

Izuka, unable to speak, just nodded. She carefully put the earrings on and gave the man a watery smile, which he returned. "Goodbye, Izuka. If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask. I may not be by your side, but I'll always be in your corner." he said, and with that, he turned on his heel and walked away.

A few feet down the hall, when Izuka was out of sight, Hisashi smirked, _"Perfect."_ he thought, _"Within the year, she'll be mine completely!"_ he gleefully returned to his VIP Box, thinking about all the things he would do when her power was at his disposal.

The young girl was left standing in the empty hallway, staring into space and trying to sort through her feelings. It felt… oddly painful, to watch her father walk away. No, it wasn't her father; it was Hisashi. No matter what he said, he couldn't replace Toshinori as her Papa, the man who had stood by her through thick and thin and had opened his home and his heart to her and her mom. But still, a part of Izuka felt regret, like there was still so much left unsaid between her and Hisashi. And so she was left standing alone, unsure of what to do or say or even how she should feel.

A gentle arm wrapped around her shoulders and Izuka looked back to see Kacchan beside her. He looked angry, but to be honest, when didn't he? "Hey Kacchan." she said, surprised at how emotional she sounded.

"Stupid Deku… running off on your own to see that guy." Katsuki gently scolded, raising his other hand to gently noogie his girlfriend's head.

"I didn't, I came to warn Mom and Papa, just in case he tried something. He beat me here… but he just wanted to talk." Izuka replied, hugging Kacchan.

"Yeah, I know. I heard pretty much everything. Do you believe him?" he asked.

"I don't know… I want to, but..." she began to choke up and Katsuki pulled her deeper into the hug, allowing her to bury her face in his chest and cry to her heart's content.

"Look, this is just my thoughts, so don't take 'em too seriously, but fuck that guy. I don't trust him and you've got Auntie Inko and All-Might on your side, as well as all the fucking nitwits in our class. You don't need that pencil pushing prick."

Izuka giggled despite her tears… even when being nice, Katsuki could barely help but curse. She really had to do something about that later. But for now, she was content in just being held by the boy.

Just around the corner, listening quietly, Shoto stood with his back to the wall. To his annoyance, he echoed Bakugou's words; Izuka didn't need Hisashi when she had so many people who genuinely cared for her, including himself. The Dual-Coloured boy was a bit peeved that Bakugou and Izuka was hugging, but they were still technically boyfriend and girlfriend, for now. He'd stomp Bakugou in the Battle Tournament later and prove he was the better man.

When Izuka and Katsuki returned to their Class Box (Shoto had already slipped back), they found that Sero had just returned from his match and he was unfortunately the loser. "Dang it, I was so close!"

"Sero! What happened? I'm sorry, we had to step out for a moment so we didn't see." Izuka apologised.

"Nah, it's cool. You didn't miss a lot… I was up against that Vine Girl, Shiozaki. Every time I tried to shoot my tape to tie her up, she'd make walls of vines grow and block my tape. I couldn't figure out the limit to it and even tried to, well, feign a feign by acting like I was going to attack then switching to my transparent tape so she'd think the attack was just a feign and she wouldn't block! It worked too, and I tied her up good and tight, but the vines on her head have freaking thorns and she sliced her way out just like that! I kept trying, using different thicknesses of tape, but I could never nail her again, so in the end, I ran out of stamina and got caught..." Sero lamented.

"Bad luck, Sero! Still, at least you showed some cool skills! I bet that trick with the clear tape was really cool to watch!" Izuka said cheerfully.

"Thanks Midoriya. Anyway, that means that if you beat Iida next round, you'll be up against either Yaoyorozu or Shiozaki." the Tape Boy pointed out.

Izuka just chuckled nervously, "I've got to beat Tenya first though! That's going to be tough..."

"I'm glad you see my as a worthy opponent! But there are still four more matches to the first round! Let us cheer on Mina and Ochako in their battle!" Tenya declared with his usual gestures.

Mina and Ochako exchanged a look. The two were quite friendly, though all of the girls in class were, so any fight between two 1-A girls was going to be a fight between friends. "I'm going to do my best! Come at me with everything, Mina!" Ochako declared.

"You got it, Ochako!" Mina replied and the two girls grinned and ran to the arena to begin their battle.

When Midnight called for the match to start, it did so quickly. Mina wasted no time, shooting some weak acid at Ochako, who dodged around it fairly easily, making herself float up high. From there, Ochako began her strategy: by staying above Mina, who had to throw her acid in an attempt to hit her, Ochako could effectively control where the acid would rain down, melting portions of the arena. When a good few chunks of concrete had been melted loose, Ochako dropped down, using one of those chunks as a shield while she touched all the loose pieces, giving her a large number of projectiles. Mina was able to melt a few but she still took a few hits, so before she could lose too much ground, she activated Plus Ultra Mode, shocking the crowd with the sudden change to her colour scheme. She hardened her horns to allow her to smash a rock that was tossed at her, then began creating walls around herself with the gel-like and crystalline acids she produced, giving her an effective shield. Once she was fairly sure of her safety, Mina began producing her gaseous acid in it's weakest form and sent it at Ochako. The Gravity Girl gasped and gagged as the gas reached her; it was weak enough that it couldn't damage her clothes, but it still stung like crazy, essentially blinding Ochako in a cloud of pepper spray.

Ochako fell to the ground, coughing and struggling to stand, so Mina took the chance to attack, leaping from her defence and charging at Ochako, ready to toss the girl from the ring, since she had fallen right on the edge. Right when she was a step away from the fallen girl, Ochako smiled and the tile Mina was standing on suddenly flipped, causing her to fall forward. Ochako rolled, touching Mina before she could land on her and then effortlessly tossed her over the edge, releasing her control so Mina hit the ground, stunned and out of bounds.

"Ashido is out of bounds! Uraraka wins and moves on to the second round!" Midnight declared.

The crowd went crazy and Present Mic was the loudest one cheering "AWESOME! URARAKA USED HER QUIRK TO TURN THE TABLES THE INSTANT ASHIDO WAS SURE SHE'D WON! THAT'S A TACTIC STRAIGHT FROM YOUR BOOK, ERASER!"

"Uraraka is clever. Because of her Zero Gravity Quirk, she has gotten used to fighting in non-conventional ways. However she is also tenacious; don't ever assume she's beaten until the match is called." Aizawa replied, making Ochako blush from the praise.

As the two girls bowed and congratulated each other on the good fight, Katsuki whistled, "Round Face actually pulled it off. She touched that tile when she fell and was able to flip it when Raccoon Eyes stepped on it."

"But how was the tile even able to move?" Kaminari asked.

"I think it was loosened by Mina's acid during the first phase of the fight, while Ochako was flying around. Ochako must have noticed and chose to leave it there as a back up plan. When she fell because of the gas, I think she used her gravity powers to direct her fall subtly and land next to it." Izuka theorised. Since Ochako's limit had been raised, she was much more creative and liberal with her quirk and was able to easily activate it's Plus Ultra Mode on the fly to direct gravity more efficiently.

When the two girls returned to the stands, the rest of Class 1-A swarmed around them, congratulating them and giving Mina a slap on the back for her effort. Ochako blushed at the praise while Mina just grinned and noogied the smaller girl, frustrated by her loss but happy for her friend either way.

Ochako watched the next match intently, as who she would face in the next round would be decided here: it was between Todoroki and Aoyama, and opinion weighed heavily in Todoroki's favour. Ochako was rooting for Aoyama though, as if he won, it would make her next fight much easier… theoretically.

Shoto entered the arena confidently and was met by the bewilderingly flamboyant Aoyama, who was posing dramatically to the audience. When the match began, Shoto was immediately on the defensive, creating ice barriers to block Aoyama's laser. Unfortunately for him, Aoyama, like Uraraka, was talented at activating Plus Ultra Mode rapidly, so Shoto was caught unaware as Aoyama suddenly blasted through the ice with a partially super charged laser. His ice shattered like glass and Shoto was knocked backwards, forcing him to use his fire to propel himself forward to avoid falling over the edge of the arena.

Aoyama smiled, "How do you like my Shining Superior: Friendly Edition? Not as powerful, but just as dazzling!"

Shoto ignored the comment and doubled his flame output while coating his right foot in ice. He hammered into the ground with his frozen foot, cracking the arena and forcing Aoyama to dodge back in an effort to not be shaken by the slam. Thawing his foot instantly, Shoto shot fire from his palm to spin him as he froze his other fist to deliver a powerful punch to Aoyama's stomach. Aoyama dodged, as expected, so Shoto redirected his flame to fire from the elbow rather than the palm, reversing his spin and allowing him to nail Aoyama across the face with an icy backhand. Aoyama yelped from the impact, but danced away before Shoto could land another blow. The Dual Coloured Boy would normally just freeze Aoyama solid, but he felt it would be insulted to end the fight like that and he was also at least 50% certain Aoyama could blast his way out with his laser.

Sliding forward by freezing the floor, Shoto sped towards Aoyama, dodging his frantic lasers until he was close enough to land another blow. Aoyama startled and shot another blast, causing Shoto to leap to the side, but just as he went to punch the blond, Aoyama smiled and fired his scatter shot laser: Glitter Shot, which had a wide enough arc to hit Shoto. The scarred boy groaned in pain as the burning beams collided with him, though his right side quickly cooled the pain. The impact of the beams had knocked Shoto staggering back, but before Aoyama could take advantage of it to hit him and shoot him off the edge, Shoto activated his ultimate defence; focusing so much ice into his right side, he allowed it to explode outward in a controlled fashion, sealing Shoto into an ice prison.

The Ice Prison protected him and kept him from falling off the edge long enough for him to melt the inside a bit and right himself, getting some sturdy footing. Aoyama was chipping away at the outside, not using his Shining Superior since it would drain his Plus Ultra Mode too quickly and leave him weak, but Shoto's ice was too thick to pierce otherwise. Shoto himself had been refusing to use his Plus Ultra Mode yet, not wanting to reveal it to his father until he had no choice, but as a show of respect for Aoyama doing better than he expected, he decided to finish the fight with it.

Exploding the Ice Prison with a blast of his fire, Shoto forced Aoyama to dodge or blast the thrown ice chunks, giving Shoto the opening he needed. Activating his Plus Ultra Mode, Shoto fired a blast from each hand that appeared to be two chunks of ice. Aoyama dodged the one from the right, but blasted the one from the left, whereupon he discovered the trick, just as a fireball slammed into his chest with such force, he was knocked out of the ring. This was Shoto's current Ace Move: he had discovered that while his normal ice and fire countered each other, the Cold Fire of his Plus Ultra Mode neither melted his ice nor cooled his fire, so he had created an ice shell, lined it with cold fire and filled the inside with his normal flames, essentially creating ice missiles that exploded into fire when the ice shattered. Aoyama's laser had destroyed the ice layer and then been nullified by the cold fire, allowing the normal fire to keep going and blast him out of the arena.

"It's my Dual Fire Impact." Shoto said simply as Midnight declared the match over.

"Aoyama is out of bounds! Todoroki wins and continues to the second round!"

Shoto nodded to the teacher and went to help Aoyama up. "Good fight." he said neutrally, spending time with the Midoriyas had made him better at emotions, but he was still a bit awkward.

"Ah, I have fallen like a star! Tell me, Todoroki, did I at least look dazzling as I fell?" Aoyama asked sadly as he accepted Shoto's help.

"Um… yes?" he answered, making Aoyama light up with joy.

"Fantastic! Even you cannot deny my sparkle! That Ice Prison was awful to deal with, but it did shine like a disco ball when my laser struck it!"

"I noticed." Shoto said dryly, his eyes still hurt a bit from all the lasers shining in his eyes. The boy could say one thing about Aoyama; he definitely was dazzling… and somewhat terrifying in how serious he took his sparkling.

After that, Aoyama went off to see Recovery Girl while Shoto wandered back to the class. He wasn't bothered by his slight burns, as his ice cooled them wonderfully and no doubt Izuka would heal them if he asked… not that he would. As he walked, he turned a corner and his face fell.

"Out of my way." he said coldly, as there in front of him was his father; Enji Todoroki, better known as Endeavor. Or as Shoto and Izuka had taken to calling him; Asshole Fire Dad Number Two (AFD2 for short). Izuka had wanted him to be Number One as there was no way Hisashi was worse, but Shoto found it funnier that even here, Endeavor was second place.

Endeavor smirked mockingly, "So I see the end of your rebellion didn't come with the ability to show some proper respect."

Shoto rolled his eyes and began to walk around the flaming bag of inadequacy as it kept speaking. "I was glad to see you finally embrace your fire in the second event, but if you'd used it earlier, you'd have crushed the First Event. As it stands, Midoriya made a mockery of you."

Shoto ignored him, though it did concern him slightly that his dick of a dad knew Izuka's name. He would never normally grace another human with the respect of actually treating them like a human. Endeavor continued; "Still, you've actually started to deserve the title of my greatest creation! Finally being able to use not only Fire and Ice, but using both from both sides! I am impressed! Did you finally come to understand your purpose, or did you just hit your limit like I said you would."

At that, Shoto actually paused, "Neither. I made a friend who showed me another way… a way to reject you even more thoroughly. I will take your power and use it to become Number One, all without acknowledging you at all. I'll be a Hero that will make everyone ask; "How could a man like Endeavor create such a hero?" your name will fade and be forever overshadowed by mine, and I'll do it all while following my own Heroic Philosophy. The name Endeavor will be remembered only as a part of my Origin."

Endeavor growled, but a part of him couldn't help but enjoy that his son finally had some fire in him. "Your friend… it's Midoriya, isn't it? I heard from All-Might that his daughter inspired your change. She is aiming for Number One as well, and from what I've seen of your scores in school, you haven't yet beaten her at anything. The only time you won something over her was the Second Event, and even then it was Ingenium's brother that secured that victory, not you. If you continue with this, you'll be stuck as Number Two, just as I was."

"If I follow your methods, I won't even get that far! I'd be ashamed to even reach the top ten acting like you! You're a scar on the face of Heroism, just as obvious as mine." Shoto yelled, pointing to his own damaged face, "And I am going to erase all memory of you. You aimed for Number One and could only reach Second Place, but enjoy it, because when I'm done, you won't even have that!" and with that, Shoto marched off.

Endeavor stood there for a few seconds, fuming. He had to use every calming method and mental trick in his (limited) arsenal to stop himself from letting his flames roar up and melt the ceiling. "Brat!" he growled, clenching his knuckles. After a few minutes of calming exercises, he was mostly under control again and could think rationally; _"So, Midoriya is a friend and has been able to influence him. Well then, it might be time for us to meet again."_

Meanwhile, Shoto had returned to his classmates, still angry but under much more control than the flaming ball of issues that he had the misfortune of calling Father. It looked like his talk had gone on longer than he expected, as Aoyama was already back and Tokoyami's match was already over.

"Hey Shoto, what kept you?" Izuka asked as he sat beside her.

"I felt like talking to a trash bag that someone lit on fire." Shoto deadpanned. Izuka just giggled at him while Katsuki gave him a "What the fuck?" look on her other side.

"Well, Shady Shoto, want me to tell you what happened in Tokoyami's fight?" she asked.

"Sure."

Izuka grinned excitedly and began reading from her notes, which she'd been meticulously keeping on all the fights and events so far. Tokoyami had been up against the Support Student; Mei Hatsume, who was apparently not interested in winning but rather showing off her creations or "Babies". With a Microphone that she'd hacked into the speaker system, Mei had turned the match into a showcase of demonstrating different equipment on Tokoyami, who just sighed and allowed most of it to happen since it was clear Mei didn't care about winning (plus Dark Shadow had detached itself and hidden in her shadow to take her out if she tried to trick him). What followed had been an awkward spectacle of Mei trapping Tokoyami in a net, flying around him with a jet-pack and hover shoes, shooting him with various strange gels that made him slippery, bouncy and even one that made him accelerate extremely fast as he walked over it. As a show that she could also create fun and whimsical weapons themed for specific heroes, she also showcased a grenade launcher… which fired lemons… which exploded. The tag-line was: "When Life gives you Lemons, use them to beat up Villains!"

At that point in the explanation, Shoto just gave Izuka a confused look; "You're messing with me."

"I'm not, honestly. Hatsume is… an interesting person." Izuka said nervously, unable to think of an effective word that properly stated Mei's insanity without insulting her.

Izuka completed the story with Mei showing off some fireworks, which irritated Dark Shadow enough to pick her up and toss her from the ring, though to her credit, Mei made it look like a part of the show. Tokoyami was declared the winner.

Shoto turned to see Tokoyami arrive, looking exhausted despite not really doing anything. "I think I just fought a Cryptid." he muttered before sitting down. His eyes looked like he was suffering from PTSD… The class laughed, and congratulated the boy, with Izuka giving some candy to Dark Shadow, which snapped Tokoyami from his funk as he shot a long-suffering look at the green haired girl.

Moving on to the next fight, it was between Katsuki and the other recommendation student of Class 1-B: Juzo Honenuki. "Good luck, Kacchan!" Izuka said, kissing his cheek.

"Thanks, but I'll kick this guy's ass so fast I won't need luck." Katsuki smirked, choosing to leap from the stands to the arena with some explosions while Honenuki walked out normally. His flashy showing had already set the crowd off, making them cheer loudly. Midnight laughed at the boy's spirit, while Honenuki just smiled and clapped before flashing a friendly thumbs up at Katsuki.

"For the final fight of the First Round: Katsuki Bakugou VS Juzo Honenuki! Battle, START!" Midnight declared.

Instantly, Katsuki charged forward. He remembered Honenuki's quirk was something to do with softening things, like a reverse Kirishima, though Honenuki could effect other things instead of himself. With this in mind, Katsuki moved quickly and as light footed as he could, ready to switch to Plus Ultra Mode in an instant to rocket himself free if the ground softened and he was trapped. Truthfully, Honenuki was at a disadvantage in the blank battle area as he could only soften his clothes, Katsuki and the ground, with nothing else being within range, which limited what he could do with his quirk. Still, he wasn't a one trick pony and was very good at boxing and kick-boxing. As soon as Katsuki was close enough, the Explosive Boy swung a right hook, going for a punch rather than an explosion to test the waters. Honenuki ducked and punched Katsuki in the gut, making the boy groan and respond with a knee to the face. Honenuki felt his entire face shift from the force of the impact and he was sent tumbling backward, barely righting himself by using his softening to let the ground swallow him and spit him out on the other side of the ring. He appeared behind Katsuki and ran as fast as he could to land a drop kick on the boy's back while he was still confused by Honenuki's Disappearance. Unfortunately for the Skull Boy, Katsuki was used to fighting quick and light-footed opponents, so he effortlessly heard Honenuki coming and feigned like he was unaware, so when the boy jumped to drop kick Katsuki out of the ring, Katsuki easily sidestepped the attack and grabbed the boy's ankle, before throwing him to the ground and slamming a weak explosion into his gut. Honenuki cried out in pain from the explosion; he had softened the ground so him slamming into it didn't hurt, but he hadn't expected Katsuki to so quickly follow up with another attack.

For a moment, it looked like Katsuki had won as Honenuki lied there, stunned, but as soon as Katsuki seemed to relax his stance, he suddenly felt the tiles beneath him snap under his weight and he began sinking into the ground. In the audience, Izuka gasped; Honenuki had softened the ground just a few millimetres below the surface, so Katsuki wouldn't notice and his weight would be able to break the surface tiles and force him to sink into the softened ground. It was a clever trick and Izuka eagerly wrote it down. Still, it wouldn't be enough to stop her Kacchan.

Katsuki ended up submerged in the ground up to his neck, Honenuki standing proudly over him. Midnight nodded and began to speak "Bakugou is unable to-"

"DON'T COUNT ME OUT YET!" Katsuki yelled. Before Midnight or Honenuki could argue, Katsuki's body began to glisten with sweat and he started to glow a bit, his skin turning red like he was badly sunburned. "You might want to dodge!" Katsuki smirked at Honenuki as he finished the prep for his Ultimate Move: "ATOMIC FLASH!"

In an instant, Katsuki's entire body detonated with so much explosive force, the shock wave sent Honenuki flying out the ring before the actual fire and full force of the explosion radiated out from Katsuki in a perfect sphere. The intense heat could be felt from the very back of the arena stands and everyone in the first few rows were knocked back in their seats from the force of it. Even Midnight and Cementoss were knocked into the walls of the arena floor and when the smoke finally cleared, the battle area was gone; replaced only by a perfectly sheer crater with Katsuki standing in the middle, his uniform completely destroyed leaving him in just a pair of flame patterned boxers (a joke gift from Izuka, since they were made to be immune to explosions). There wasn't even any rubble from the explosion, as everything the heat touched had been basically atomised.

"W-Whoa! That was a hell of a move!" Midnight said, so shocked she had momentarily forgotten her role. "Um, Honenuki is out of bounds. Bakugou wins and moves on to the second round!" she finally announced.

Juzo Honenuki sighed in disappointment, but went to congratulate his opponent regardless, though he was unsure how this would be received. Tetsutetsu and Monoma had described the Explosive Boy as an arrogant asshole after all… still, Honenuki had already lost; what's the worst that could happen. "Congratulations, Bakugou. That move was amazing."

Katsuki smirked, "It's my Ace Move… still a bit pissed I had to use it. I fell for that damn trick of yours fair and square. You're name's Honenuki, right?" The Skull Boy nodded. "Right, I'll remember it."

Honenuki smiled and bowed in respect, returning to his classmates just as Katsuki did. The Skull Boy didn't know it, but Katsuki had just put him in the category of "Major Rival", someone who could pose a realistic threat to him.

Once back in the stands, Izuka congratulated her boyfriend with a kiss, her massive excited smile and sparkling eyes full of admiration. "Kacchan, that move was awesome! Atomic Flash… I think that move would have beaten anyone! Will… will you tell me how it works?" she asked, shyly holding up her notebook.

Katsuki smirked and ran his fingers through her hair. "Sure. Using Plus Ultra Mode, I convert all my sweat, including that which is still inside me, into nitroglycerin. Since I can control my nitroglycerin when in Plus Ultra Mode, I force it all out of me, which is why I turn red. Once it's all out, I concentrate it into one massive pool in my chest, compress it down into a tiny bead and let it explode outward. The initial shock wave is meant to knock out anyone who might be killed, so when the heat comes, only people strong enough to survive it get hit. It shreds my clothes though." he said, pointing to his boxers, "These turned out real useful." he said, smirking as Izuka blushed and squeaked.

Shoto, who was less amused by this showing, threw a set of Gym Clothes at the boy, "Get dressed, you streaker."

"Fuck you, Icy Hot. You better win your next match so I can kick your ass!" Katsuki growled, shoving on the donated clothes.

Izuka smiled and looked up at the big screen, which was displaying the next matches:

First Match: Midoriya VS Iida

Second Match: Yaoyorozu VS Shiozaki

Third Match: Uraraka VS Todoroki

Fourth Match: Tokoyami VS Bakugou

After a short break, she'd be fighting with Tenya. She wasn't particularly looking forward to it, since she and Tenya got along so well; she didn't like the idea of hurting him, but ultimately it would be insulting to him if she held back, so she resolved to fight full force. Before the Second Round could begin, Izuka decided she should have a talk with her parents regarding Hisashi Kintaro.


	20. Friends and Rivals

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 20: Friends and Rivals**

The looks on the faces of her parents almost made Izuka regret telling them about her run in with Hisashi. Her mother looked about ready to spit fire, and even scarier, Toshi's expression became cold and closed off. Both looked so different and out of character that Izuka actually took a step back from the intensity, which seemed to snap both of them out of their dark moods; neither wanted to make Izuka feel like she was at fault. "I can't believe that man would just come out of nowhere after all this time!" Inko growled.

"It does leave a bad feeling in my gut. Izuka, you were the one to actually talk to him… do you think he was genuine?" Toshi asked.

Izuka shrugged, not meeting either parent's eyes. She knew what Hisashi had done to her and her mother, the things he'd said to them and the things he'd threatened, but she had felt bad for him as he confessed his feelings (assuming he was being truthful) and now that she was with her true parents, she felt like she'd somehow betrayed them by not treating Hisashi with the destain he deserved. "I'm sorry..." she mumbled.

Inko's expression softened; "Sweetheart, you did nothing wrong. I don't know if that man was truthful or not… he's a shrewd businessman and a skilled liar, but when we were dating, he definitely seemed genuinely happy. You shouldn't feel bad for what he said."

"But I felt bad for him, even after everything he said and did." Izuka confessed.

Toshinori reached over and pulled Izuka into an embrace. They were in an empty prep room so they could have some privacy. Izuka curled into the hug, enjoying the pleasant feeling of her father, her TRUE father, caring for her. "My girl, feeling bad for him wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If he was telling the truth, then it was a fair feeling and if he was lying, he tricked you. I'd be more concerned if you didn't feel bad for him; that caring nature is an integral part of you."

"Really?" Izuka looked up, big sparkling eyes on full blast. That look always made All-Might want to wrap her in a blanket and hide her away from the world, but he knew that she was strong enough to handle anything.

"Of course. I know things have been bad between you and your blood father, but if he really is hoping to have some kind of relationship with you, I think it would be in your benefit to give him a chance. Takes things at your pace and be cautious, but follow your feelings. If he tries anything you don't like, I'll sort him out!" Toshi grinned, inflating into his hero form for emphasis.

Izuka giggled then looked toward her mother, "Mom, is this okay with you? Papa will always be my dad, but I want to give Hisashi a chance too..."

Inko sighed and petted her daughter's head; "I won't lie baby, I don't trust him. But I do trust you; if you want to try and bond with him at all, then you'll have my support."

"Thank you Mom." Izuka smiled, embracing her mother too. The Yagi-Midoriya Family ended up having a group hug until it was time for the Second Round to begin, which Izuka would be fighting in the first match of. "I better get going." she said, reluctantly leaving the warmth of her parents.

"Good luck Izuka! We'll be cheering for you!" Inko smiled.

Toshinori grinned, "As a teacher, I have to be unbiased… but as your father, go and kick young Iida's behind!"

Izuka laughed at her father's words and ran off to begin the fight while her parents slowly made their way back to the stands. As they walked, both were concerned. "Toshi, I don't like this. The timing is just too strange." Inko confessed.

"I know. I'll be watching Hisashi carefully in all his dealings with Izuka. I think we should also speak with Haru, just in case." Toshinori replied. No matter what Hisashi said or did; Izuka was HIS daughter now and Toshi would be damned if he was going to allow that fire breathing shit to worm his way back into a position that was rightfully Toshi's!

As the Yagi-Midoriya parents reached their seats, Izuka and Tenya emerged from the gates of the arena, walking to the battle area to begin their fight.

Present Mic's voice boomed over the audience; "YEAH! THE SECOND ROUND KICKS OFF WITH A BATTLE BETWEEN TWO MEMBERS OF CLASS 1-A! WE HAVE THE FIERY ANGEL WITH A HEART OF GOLD; IZUKA MIDORIYA VERSUS THE SPEED DEMON WITH A THINGS FOR RULES; TENYA IIDA!"

Tenya and Izuka bowed to one another; "Good luck, Izuka. But I will not hold back!" Tenya declared.

"I wouldn't want you to, Tenya. Give me everything you've got!" Izuka shot back. Both of them had fire in their eyes and were smiling despite their serious postures.

Midnight raised her hand; "MATCH, START!"

The instant the words left Midnight's lips, Tenya charged at Izuka, activating Plus Ultra Mode and shifting up to Sixth Gear in an instant, much to Izuka's surprise. He hadn't been able to shift up so many gears at once before, though judging by the look of pain on his face, it was a difficult move to pull off. Izuka wasn't able to respond in time and was met with a hard kick to the chest which knocked her off balance. Without missing a beat, Tenya ran around her, running faster than she could fly from the last blow, grabbing her jacket from behind and running for the edge to toss her off the side. Izuka's first instinct was to incinerate her jacket, but her clothes were all fire proof so that would be pointless. Instead, she summoned her wings and flapped them hard, the resultant drag not only slowing Iida but the flames of her wings also burned his hand, forcing him to let her go. Before Iida could try a new tactic, Izuka spun around and blasted two small fireballs at him, aiming for his engines in the hopes of knocking him off balance and out of the ring. Unfortunately, Iida was able to twist himself enough to dodge and used a quick Recipro Burst to shoot back into the middle of the arena where he could safely slow his engines.

For Tenya, he knew that the moment Izuka got enough altitude, it would be over for him; he had no long range attacks, so if she got out of his range, she could pepper him with fire attacks while he was a sitting duck. The only reason she hadn't already won was because she didn't dare attack full force while he was in Sixth Gear, as if she accidentally knocked him out or left him unable to move, the pressure on his cardiovascular system could cause him a heart attack. At anything below Fifth Gear, Izuka could match his speed so he had to attack carefully and with a clear plan.

Izuka breathed deeply, hovering just above the ground a few metres from Tenya. She hadn't been prepared for his rapid attack and was nearly defeated right off the bat. Deciding to go on the offensive before Tenya could repeat his earlier move, Izuka spread her wings out and began firing her flame feathers. Tenya dodged them easily enough, using quick bursts from his engines to push himself away from each feather before it impacted. In his haste to dodge, he didn't notice that the feathers weren't vanishing, but sticking to the ground in a similar fashion to the lightning darts from his battle with Kaminari. Just as he finally took notice of them (right as he leg brushed against one) Izuka shot a large fireball at the centre of the feather filled arena, setting off a massive explosion. The entire battle area was consumed by flames, temporarily blinding Izuka, but when the fire dissipated, she couldn't see Tenya.

" _Did the explosion knock him that far?"_ she wondered, looking around. Tenya's location was soon revealed when a heavy heel drop landed on Izuka's head, smacking her into the floor and making her see stars. Tenya, at the last moment, had jumped and used his Recipro Burst to make him spin up into the air, similar to the trick he'd used to alert the school during the Press Break In, only this time instead of using Kirishima as a leg up, he used Izuka's own explosive flames to propel himself upward, singing his back as he did so. Then, at the height of his flight, he revved up again and launched a spinning heel drop onto Izuka's head.

The sheer force of the blow would have knocked most people out, but Izuka was channelling small amounts of One for All through her body, allowing her to withstand the blow and cling to consciousness. Despite her splitting headache, Izuka stood up, wobbling on her feet a bit as Tenya fanned his legs. The Cooling System he'd gained from his evolved quirk let him use Recipro Burst more often, but it didn't let him use them infinitely. Even with the pain in her head, Izuka couldn't help but grin; she was enjoying this fight. This wasn't a test of Wills like her fight with Shinso, or a serious villain attack like her fight at the USJ or with Muscular; this was a friendly bout between two heroes! Tenya's spirit seemed to burn as brightly as Izuka's and she could see the enjoyment in his eyes as he was faced with an unwavering challenge. It was a bit like her sparring matches with Katsuki, though Izuka doubted anyone could match the intensity of the fire in HIS eyes.

With a smirk, Izuka waved her hand, drawing the heat away from Tenya's legs, cooling them down to room temperature again. Tenya looked at her questioningly and she grinned; "I want to try something different. Let's finish this with one more move!" she declared, flaring her wings.

Tenya sighed, but his smile was still present. "Very well! My initial gambit didn't work, so let us end this with one more strike!" he declared, running to the very edge of the arena furthest from Izuka. He got into the position of a runner preparing to start a race and revved his engines so much that blue flames roared up behind him. He burst straight into Sixth Gear and charged at Izuka. At the other end of the area, Izuka felt the spark in her soul flicker and grow stronger, threatening to spill over. Following the feeling, she allowed herself to go over her limits, pumping One for All up to 50% and pouring it all into her legs and wings. Leaping at Tenya, she moved to perform a flying kick, but mid flight she flapped her wings and caused herself to spin, blasting fire from her hands as she did and turning her body into a giant flaming drill. Tenya leapt to meet the kick with his own.

Tenya's hair and blue exhaust flames making him look like a blue flaming arrow that flew towards Izuka's crimson spiral spear. The two moves collided.

"BLUE BOLT STREAK!" Tenya yelled.

"MAGNUS LANCE!" Izuka yelled.

A Gargantuan plume of flame and smoke exploded upward, encasing the arena in a tornado of red and blue flame, spiralling and warring with each other like two dragons entwined and roaring. Finally, the flames began to die down, revealing the two fighters. Tenya was unconscious, his body indented into the wall, his right leg badly burned and bruised, but unbroken. He had slowed his engines at the last moment to give him as much momentum as possible without causing him heart trouble if he lost the exchange. Flying above the centre of the arena was Izuka, her leg broken and dripping blood, her body steaming from all the heat she'd released. She was panting hard and landed with a muffled cry.

"Iida is unable to continue; Midoriya wins and moves on to the Semi-Finals!" Midnight declared. The crowd began to roar as some robots came out with a stretcher to left Iida to Recovery Girl. Despite his unconsciousness, Izuka suffered her broken leg to bow to him as he was taken away, showing the proper respect to an opponent that had fought hard. She tried to hobble to the Nurse's Office, but both Shoto and Katsuki ran out to the arena to help her, each taking one arm over their shoulder.

"Thanks Shoto, Kacchan." Izuka panted. She hadn't been this tired in a while… she was glad she had three matches worth of time to recuperate.

"That was fucking amazing, Izuka! That move of yours looked like it could have taken down All-Might!" Katsuki grinned.

"Yes, it was an amazing move. Iida's technique was also amazing. Out of curiosity, why call that move Magnus Lance?" Shoto asked.

Izuka chuckled; "It's… it's a long story. I'm just working out some stuff right now. Ever since the battle at the USJ and everyone's reaction to my death, I'm starting to think I should distance myself from the Phoenix thing. And Kacchan, there's no way that move would have taken down All-Might! It was only about 50% of his strength at best and the flames weren't as powerful as Endeavor's. If I could use that move like twenty times in a row without missing, maybe I'd beat him but as you can see..." she twitched her broken leg with a grimace; "That isn't going to be happening."

The two boys looked at the broken leg awkwardly as they finally reached Recovery Girl's office. The Nurse had just finished healing Tenya, who was conscious again. Since he wouldn't be fighting again, Recovery Girl had gone all out healing him, restoring him to near perfect health at the cost of leaving him lethargic. Recovery Girl looked at her apprentice with a long-suffering sigh, "You two idiots really went too far. This whole event is just foolish..." she complained, directing the boys to place Izuka down on the bed beside Tenya.

"Izuka, our match was excellent! I am sad to lose, but you defeated me with a truly splendid move!" Tenya complimented.

"T-Thanks Tenya!" Izuka smiled bashfully, "Yours was great too! Blue Bolt Streak… that's so cool! Maybe you should get some blue additions to your hero costume! It suits you really well!"

Tenya's eyes turned to his phone; "Well, my costume is meant to be like my brother's..."

"It still would be. Besides, Ingenium seemed just as proud to have you as a brother as you did to have him. I bet if you put blue on your costume, he'd put blue on his too." Izuka smiled. Recovery Girl had already kissed her, draining her energy but healing her leg. Izuka could use her own pink flames to do the rest and absorbed some flames donated by Todoroki to restore her stamina.

Tenya smiled gratefully. He had tried to call Tensei after his match, but it had gone straight to voicemail. For a moment, he had thought Tensei was ashamed of his loss, but Tenya slapped himself out of that; his brother would be proud regardless of his defeat, and Izuka's words confirmed that!

 **[ELSEWHERE, IN HOSU WARD]**

In a dark alley, a hero lay bleeding out onto the cold concrete, his glistening white armour stained with blood. Beside him, his phone vibrated, a picture of his younger brother appearing on the screen with a message, signalling a missed call. The phone was promptly crushed under the boot of another figure; a twisted man with blades strapped to every limb and a sinister grin on his face as he licked his sword clean of blood.

"Fake heroes… they run around working for fame and money, calling themselves heroes… they can try to kill me, but only All-Might has permission to take my life!" sneered the man.

A Hero Killer was on the loose, and Tensei Iida had fallen to his blade, his life blood slowly leaking out as the Authorities raced to reach him in time.

 **[BACK AT U.A]**

With her health and energy restored, Izuka healed the last bit of damage Iida had sustained and the two went to watch the next match, which was between Momo and the Vine Girl from Class 1-B; Shiozaki. The two girls had already entered the ring and were waiting for Midnight to start the fight.

"Momo! Good luck!" Izuka yelled, waving to the taller girl. Momo looked up at her and smiled, giving her a thumbs up as Present Mic began his introduction.

"FOR THE SECOND MATCH OF ROUND TWO, WE HAVE A MATCH BETWEEN THE LAST OF THE NON-CLASS 1-A STUDENTS AND THE PRESIDENT OF CLASS 1-A! IT'S THE ASSASSIN OF BOTANY; IBARA SHIOZAKI VS THE MOST CREATIVE GIRL AROUND; MOMO YAOYOROZU!"

Momo sweat-dropped at the comments, but Shiozaki seemed to actually be upset by her introduction. She turned to face the Announcers Box; "Pardon my Objection, but why did you refer to me as an Assassin? I have come her to seek victory true, but I do not wish to take another's life! It is my wish as a Hero to spread the virtues of goodness and peace."

"AH! SORRY!" Present Mic shouted, making many in the crowd laugh at the over-exuberant man.

Shiozaki smiled and turned back to Momo, bowing apologetically, "I am sorry for turning my back on you, I did not mean any offence."

"It's fine. It's been a while since we saw each other. Not since we were introduced on the day of the Entrance Exams, right?" Momo said.

"That's right. I wish I could have spent some time speaking with you, but our Class 1-B has a rather large rivalry with your Class 1-A. As I am the last of my class still in the tournament, I wish to win for them! Please forgive me for any harm I cause you!" Shiozaki said, clasping her hands together as if in prayer.

Momo nodded, "Likewise. Let's do our best."

Midnight grinned and started the match; "MATCH, START!"

In a flash of light, Momo had an object in each hand; in her right was a small flamethrower and in her left was a machete with a handle like a motorbike grip and chainsaw teeth along the edge of the blade. Momo squeezed the handle, revving her weapon up and showing it worked… she had created a chainsaw machete! Her creation speed was much faster when utilising Plus Ultra Mode, as long as the information on an item exists within her Quirk's memory, she could make it in an instant just by visualising it, as opposed to having to consciously remember the construction details. Shiozaki was surprised but not deterred, grouping large numbers of her vines together to attack from both sides at once. Momo back-flipped over the attack coming from her right and used her blade to slice apart the vines coming from the left; the thickness from them entwined together being no defence against the spinning blade. Shiozaki went for another attack, but Momo sprayed the flamethrower at her, obscuring her view and making her recoil. In that instant, Momo was able to easily run at Shiozaki, a quick burst of flame from the flamethrower forcing Shiozaki to defend from the front so Momo could side step around the Vine Girl and slice apart the vines anchoring her to the ground. With those out of the way, it was simple for Momo to judo throw the other girl out of the ring, achieving the fastest victory of the tournament so far.

"Shiozaki is out of bounds! Yaoyorozu wins and moves on to the Semi-Finals! The first match of the Semi-Finals will be between Midoriya and Yaoyorozu!" Midnight called. Momo briefly looked up to the stands and met Izuka's gaze, winking at the younger girl. Izuka gulped… if there was one opponent she hadn't wanted to face today, it was Momo.

"Those two were both pretty amazing. I bet Kamui Woods would love having Shiozaki as a sidekick; their quirks are similar being plant types with great control." Izuka commented as Momo and Shiozaki shook hands. To be honest, Shiozaki had a major disadvantage as at least half the remaining fighters had a hard counter to her vines, still with skill and control like hers, it was easy to see how she got into U.A on a recommendation.

Ochako nodded and got up, "Right, I'm next. I better go to the Prep Room." she said, looking strangely pensive. Izuka frowned; Ochako was facing Shoto who had already left… the odds were stacked against her. Tenya and Izuka exchanged a look and decided to follow her, leaving Katsuki to his own preparations for the following match with Tokoyami.

When the two reached the Prep Room, they found Momo had arrived too and was currently fussing over Ochako, who's face was rather scary looking with her furrowed brow and fierce eyes.

"Whoa, Ochako! Are you okay? That look is kind of… terrifying." Izuka admitted.

"Ah… I'm just a little nervous. Guess it shows on my face." Ochako laughed half-heartedly, her expression returning to normal.

"Understandable, your opponent is Todoroki. He and Bakugou are the strongest boys in class." Tenya commented, both Izuka and Momo giving him glares as his comment made Ochako even more nervous.

"Y-Yeah… I'm scared, really scared. But… seeing you out there Tenya, and you Izuka, and you Momo… You've all done so amazingly. It's inspiring." Ochako smiled, more earnestly this time, though she was still obviously scared.

Izuka nervously pulled out her notebook; "O-Ochako, you were one of my first friends other than Kacchan! It's thanks to you and Momo that I can talk to everyone so easily. You helped me out, so I want to return the favour!" she thrust the notebook towards the Gravity Girl; "It's a bit slapdash, but I came up with a Counter-Strategy to Shoto that uses your quick! Please take it!"

Tenya looked impressed; "Oh! How fortunate, Ochako, with this your chances skyrocket!"

Izuka blushed, happy that Tenya had such faith in her strategies. Ochako smiled kindly, but shook her head. "Thanks Izuka, but it's okay. You've been amazing from the beginning; coming out on top of the Apprehension Tests, saving me in the Entrance Exam and at the USJ and even winning the Battle Trial. I teamed up with you in the Second Event 'cause I thought it would be best to team with friends, but in reality, I was just relying on your strength again. I want to become as amazing as you and Bakugou and Todoroki and Momo! So thank you, but I want to win by myself." Ochako declared. She stood up, ready for her match; her smile was forced and her arms shook as she gave her friends a thumbs up, but despite her obvious fear and self-doubt, she was determined. "Izuka, Momo; whichever one of you wins, I'll face you in the finals!"

The two girls nodded as Tenya cheered for Ochako's spirit. The three returned to the stands to watch the match, Shoto and Ochako meeting each other in the arena. Izuka felt a twinge of guilt for supporting one friend over another, but she truly wanted Ochako to win; Shoto had made such massive improvements that it felt bad to root against him, but after all the determination Ochako showed, Izuka didn't want to see her fall.

In the stands, Tsuyu tilted her head, "This match up worries me a bit. Todoroki won't hold back."

"I kind of don't want to watch… whoever wins, it's going to be a painful fight." Kyoka said, rubbing her arms. Todoroki seemed to be leaking cold air before the match even started.

"THE PENULTIMATE MATCH OF ROUND TWO IS HERE! FIGHTING IT OUT WILL BE THE ZERO-G HEROINE TO BE; OCHAKO URARAKA VERSUS THE ICE MAN WITH A BURNING SOUL; SHOTO TODOROKI!"

Shoto gave Ochako a respectful nod, which she returned as Midnight raised her arm; "MATCH, START!"

There was a pause, then suddenly, both fighters burst into action. Shoto sent a wave of ice at the girl from one side and a blast of fire from the other, hoping to catch Ochako regardless of if she stayed low or went high. Ochako had opted for the high road and used her quirk to float upwards, getting a slightly burned foot as Shoto's flames just barely caught her. Now floating, she activated Plus Ultra Mode and shifted gravity on herself to launch herself at Shoto, whose eyes widened in surprise at the brazen attack. He shot a stream of fire at her, forcing her to shift gravity so she was flying only an inch or two above the ground, but she took the opportunity to run her fingers over the ice from Shoto's first attack, allowing her to shoot them towards the boy and shield herself from any follow up attack. Shoto dodged some of the ice and melted the rest, but Ochako hadn't gotten close enough to touch him. Thinking fast, Shoto used Plus Ultra Mode to release fire from both sides, coating him in flame similar to how Izuka used her fire. However, Ochako was not to be dissuaded and with a scream, she plunged her hand into the fire to touch the boy. She suffered burns to her left hand, but managed to solidly touch Shoto.

"This match is mine!" Ochako declared, using her quirk to shift gravity on Todoroki and launch him from the ring. Unfortunately, before she could release her quirk and drop the boy, Shoto used his ice to slice off his jacket and shirt, which had been what Ochako touched, then use his fire to propel himself back into the ring before he touched the ground or walls.

The now bare chested boy panted as he landed, partly drained from using Plus Ultra Mode to shift his elements three times in only a few seconds, but Ochako was much worse off. Her foot was burned and her stamina was basically just fumes at this point. Still, she refused to give up.

Using the lull in the fight to her advantage, Ochako touched more left over ice and shot them at Todoroki, forcing him to fire back with his flames. The ice melted and created a plume of steam as they melted and evaporated from the intense heat, obscuring Shoto's view. Knowing Ochako's plan, Shoto was on guard, keeping his eyes peeled when suddenly, he saw it; Ochako's back. With a massive blast of ice, Shoto froze his target in a pillar of ice, the force of the ice's sudden formation tearing up the ground. When the steam cleared, Shoto's ice widened; his massive ice pillar contained nothing but a frozen jacket. Catching movement out of the corner of his eyes, Shoto narrowly dodged Ochako, now in just her tank top, swinging her palm at him. In his panic, he shot some ice without really considering the angle and only succeeded in creating more ice for Ochako to lift and tearing up more of the ground. Still, he did manage to knock the winded girl away from him.

"That smokescreen almost got me, if you'd had more time to get completely behind me before attacking, I'd have lost." Shoto said, calming himself as he used some fire to warm himself, as he had begun to get a bit too cold.

Ochako stumbled as she stood. She'd taken a glancing blow to the face from a chunk of ice and now her cheek was bleeding and she was struggling to keep her eye open. But still, she wouldn't give up. Panting heavily, the girl fixed her eyes on Shoto; "Todoroki, you're really incredible… I was saving this for facing Izuka or Bakugou, but I've been backed into a corner… I'll take you down with everything I've got!" Ochako cried, putting her fingers together.

Shoto gasped, looking up. Above him was a massive asteroid field made from chunks of ice and concrete he'd broken during his reckless attacks. He braced himself, thinking he was about to defend himself from a meteor storm, but instead, the rubble all gathered into one place. Ochako was pushing her quirk and Plus Ultra Mode to the absolute limits, controlling the gravity on each individual chunk of rubble to compress it into a single space, creating a small celestial body above the arena.

"PLANET BUSTER!" Ochako cried, launching the small moon-like missile at Shoto, who was almost too awestruck to move. The object collided with the arena and exploded as Ochako released her control, allowing it to crumble into a mound.

"AFTER AN AMAZING TURN AROUND, URARAKA HAS BURIED TODOROKI WITH A TINY MOON! IS THIS THE END FOR TODOROKI?" Present Mic yelled.

Izuka smiled widely; Ochako had done amazingly! A strategy like that; Izuka would never have thought of it!

Just as Midnight was about to call the match, a monstrous burst of fire erupted from the mound of rubble, melting the ice into steam and turning a large portion of the rock into magma. Stepping out from the middle was a panting and slightly battered Shoto Todoroki, his bare torso scratched up and bleeding. Ochako just gaped; "B-But how!?"

Shoto stumbled out of the mound and onto the arena floor; "That was close… I had to use my Ice Prison to protect myself from the impact and even then, your attack shattered it. I only barely offset it enough to stay conscious. I got myself cut up when the ice and rubble broke apart and landed on me." he explained between breaths.

Ochako groaned and whimpered; her body was shaking from strain and she was deathly pale. "I-I'm not done! I can still-!" she stepped forward and promptly felt the searing pain from her burnt foot. She crumpled to the ground and tried desperately to crawl towards Todoroki, but the Dual-Coloured boy looked reluctant. Part of him wanted to surrender there and then, out of respect for Uraraka's tenacity, but in the end, she'd only consider that pity or an insult. He reluctantly moved to freeze and immobilise Ochako, but Midnight stepped in.

"This has gone on enough. Uraraka is unable to continue. Todoroki wins and moves on to the Semi-Finals."

Izuka gasped, putting her hands to her mouth as tears threatened to spill over. Ochako had tried so hard and shown such amazing skills and strategies, but in the end, it wasn't enough to topple Shoto's raw power. Still, she had pushed him to the absolute limits and earned the respect of everyone watching. That was a match that no one, not even Shoto, felt good about, but it had galvanised many of the Young Heroes watching… they each wanted to be able to go into a battle and say they fought as hard as Ochako Uraraka. Ochako's techniques would be remembered as some of the best entries into the Sports Festival Hall of Fame.

Izuka ran to Recovery Girl's office, finding Shoto already leaving as she arrived. His injuries were mostly superficial, so after closing the cuts, Recovery Girl had sent him off to heal on his own and conserve his strength for his Semi-Final bout.

"Hi Shoto. Congratulations on your win." Izuka smiled politely.

Shoto nodded, "Thanks. Can't say it feels good to win though. Those amazing strategies Uraraka used… did you come up with them?"

Izuka shook her head; "I offered her plans but she refused them. Everything she did out there was all her. She wanted to fight you and win without help." she said proudly, like a little sister boasting about her awesome big sis.

"I see. To be fair, I feel like this is a situation where I won the battle but lost the war. Who knew winning could make me feel bad." Shoto mused with a sad groan.

"Hey now, none of that! You won fair and square against a strong opponent!" Izuka scolded, flicking the boy's unburned cheek.

Shoto smirked and playfully swatted her hand away. "There is only two more matches before we can face off. I'll defeat Bakugou, since he'll likely beat Tokoyami, and I'm betting you'll beat Yaoyorozu. Then we can face off. I'm looking forward to it."

Izuka nodded, "I am too, but don't count Kacchan out so easily! He's never been one to go down easy; you'll be pushed to the limits!"

The Dual-Coloured Boy snorted at the girl's obvious bias before saying a simple goodbye and leaving Izuka to speak with Uraraka. Once Shoto had walked away, Izuka took a deep breath and walked into Recovery Girl's office. The nurse greeted her with a nod and pointed her to Ochako, who was sitting up in bed behind a small partition.

"Ochako!" Izuka cried, seeing the girl was hooked up to an IV. "Oh my gosh, are you okay!?"

The round faced girl giggled and poked Izuka's cheek, "I'm fine! I just pushed my Anti-Nausea adaption too much and got really sick. The IV is to help rehydrate me, and I'm in bed because Recovery Girl used almost all my stamina to heal me, and I didn't have a lot left after using Plus Ultra Mode."

Izuka sighed with relief, "Thank goodness… I was worried something really bad had happened! You did great out there! All those tricks and moves were amazing; I'm surprised you didn't win! Shoto was hanging on by the skin of his teeth through most of the match!" she complimented.

"I know right!" Ochako let out an exaggerated groan and pumped her fist; "That Todoroki is just too strong! I could barely scratch him! Guess I need to train harder and beat him next time!"

The Green Haired Girl frowned at her friend; Izuka had spent much of her early life surrounded by fake smiles, so she was adept at spotting them. Ochako was smiling, but her eyes were sad and watery, like she was using all her strength to hold back the tears. "Izuka, you guys are all so powerful… every challenge we come up against, you seem to take it so easily. It was inspiring and made me want to be like that too. I lost today… but I don't want to ever lose again!" she declared. "I'm sorry… I said I'd meet you in the finals, but it looks like I'm going to be disappointing you. I'll get there next time."

"Ochako..." Izuka embraced the other girl, "I'm not disappointed. After seeing how hard you fought, how could I be? You and Tenya both said how I inspired you, but you both inspire me as well! I see him and I can't fathom how he is able to always act like a model student and hero, and I see you and feel like I'm so far behind, like my fighting spirit is a pale imitation of yours. Seeing you fight Shoto, I felt like a little girl watching All-Might's videos! It pumped me up and made me want to fight as hard as you! To fight until I literally can't any more."

The brown haired girl teared up, a shaky smile on her face, "Izuka, you dummy… you've literally fought to the point of dying and got back up. But… thanks. The thought that I somehow inspire someone like you, it makes me really proud." she said, squeezing Izuka in her arms. The two girls sat there for a while, hugging happily when they heard the next match was about to begin.

"Go on and cheer for your boyfriend. I'll be out soon to watch your match!" Ochako said brightly, rubbing the tears from her eyes. Izuka nodded and walked to the door, only to be stopped as she was about to open it by Ochako's voice. "Izuka… do me a favour and win today, okay?"

Izuka smiled with determined eyes; "I will! I'll reach the top." she declared, then headed off with a new spring in her step. She now had not only All-Might's wishes driving her forward, but Tenya, Hitoshi and Ochako too! With so many people behind her, Izuka couldn't help but keep smiling bravely, ready to face whatever was to come. First she'd conquer Momo, then she'd defeat Shoto or Katsuki and reach the peak.

Once Izuka was gone, Recovery Girl politely excused herself to watch the match in the arena, citing that any fight with Bakugou was likely to need medical assistance sooner rather than later. This left Ochako alone in her bed, idly watching the screen as Cementoss fixed the arena and replays of her match with Todoroki were shown. With a hint of dread, she picked up her cellphone and called her parents.

Her call was answered and Ochako swallowed thickly; "Hey Dad. Sorry I missed your call before..."

" _It's fine! We know you're busy! Your mom and I watched the whole thing on the TV at the bar! You were so close and were really amazing Honey! You should have seen it; the whole bar was screaming and cheering for you! The little girl from our tiny town reached the top eight of the U.A sports Festival!"_

Ochako frowned. She wanted to deny it, say she'd not come close at all and had failed her last ditch attack, but something held her tongue. Even though he won, Shoto had been in rough shape after the fight and had been pushed to the edge. Izuka had complimented her too, even confessing to being inspired by her… Somehow, it felt insulting to them for her to wallow in self-pity. "I lost this time… but I'll win next time. I won my first match, so hopefully the talent scouts will want me and I can train more with great heroes."

" _That's the spirit! I know you probably took that loss hard, but you truly were amazing. Even though that Todoroki boy won, all the replays have focused on you and how awesome you were! The Heroes they've been interviewing in the interim have been gushing over you. You've grown up so much since you left home!"_ her dad replied.

"Yeah, I've..." she thought of how it felt to watch Izuka's back; how strong the other girl seemed despite being so small. She'd fought against the odds and come out on top, surviving adversity like All for One and Shigaraki. "I've found my goal. Someone I want to surpass. I'm going to keep my promise; I'll become a super successful hero and help support you and Mom, and send you to Hawaii! I'll… I'll shoot for Number One!"

There was a moment of silence before her father's voice returned, unabashed pride in his voice as he spoke; _"Ochako, you will always be our kind and adorable little girl. I know that one day, I'll be able to kick back and relax, bragging to everyone that the best Hero out there is my daughter."_ Ochako smiled, despite the tears rolling down her face. She'd do it too, she'd be the best! She'd get stronger and surpass Todoroki, Bakugou and even Izuka!

Back at the Arena, Izuka had returned to the stands and was now cheering for Katsuki as he and Tokoyami entered the arena ready for their fight.

"FINALLY, THE TIME HAS COME FOR THE LAST MATCH OF THE SECOND ROUND! IT'S THE DARK PRINCE WITH A DEADLY SHADOW; FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI VERSUS THE BOMBER KING OF CLASS 1-A; KATSUKI BAKUGOU!"

Katsuki cracked his knuckles while Tokoyami stood stoically, his arms crossed. Both boys decided to forego the bow, instead nodding to one another as Midnight began the match. Tokoyami started the fight by directing Dark Shadow to shoot towards Katsuki, staying attached in case Katsuki used a trick to damage the quirk. Katsuki, fully aware of Dark Shadow's weakness, simply blasted the quirk, focusing on making the explosion bright and flashy rather than strong. Dark Shadow recoiled with a shriek but Katsuki was on him again in an instant, releasing explosions like fire crackers directly into Dark Shadow's face, further weakening him and not giving the quirk a chance to recover or recharge it's energy. Realising the current state of things would lead to his defeat, Tokoyami activated Plus Ultra Mode and seperated Dark Shadow from him so that while Katsuki was busy attacking the shadow, Tokoyami could charge and attack directly.

Katsuki smirked and flipped over Dark Shadow just as Tokoyami threw a weak punch. The Bird Boy relied on his quirk for most physical tasks, so the boy himself was fairly weak, allowing Katsuki to easily weave around Dark Shadow and grapple him. Desperate to escape as Katsuki moved to throw him out of bounds, Tokoyami did the one thing he never thought he'd do; he pecked Katsuki, hitting the boy hard in the face with his beak. His beak wasn't as hard as a bird's, being more like hardened skin than bone, but the sheer audacity of the attack stunned Katsuki for long enough for Dark Shadow to sink into the boy's shadow, then stretch up from it to bind Katsuki tightly. "Entwined in Darkness; this is my Shadow Sacrifice." Tokoyami declared as Dark Shadow forced the bound Bakugou into a crucified position and slowly began edging towards the arena boundary. With his strength weakened from the earlier flashes of light, Dark Shadow was fairly slow, especially with Katsuki thrashing and growling. As they reached the edge, Katsuki countered; releasing small flashes from all over his body (the tiny explosions shredding his clothes again) which forced Dark Shadow to release him with a scream. With a burst from his feet, Katsuki back flipped over the shadow and grabbed Tokoyami, this time being mindful of his beak, as he threw the boy at the shadow. Tokoyami collided with Dark Shadow, who bent and twisted into unnatural positions to prevent his master from being knocked out of the arena, but before they could recover, Katsuki was in front of them, his hands together and a glowing ball between his fingers.

"Stun Grenade!" he cried, detonating the ball and releasing a massive flash with such intensity that Dark Shadow was completely destroyed, forcing the Quirk's consciousness back into his master as Tokoyami fell to the ground, landing outside the ring.

"Tokoyami is out of bounds. Bakugou wins and moves on to the Semi Finals! He will face Todoroki in the second Semi Final bout!" Midnight declared.

With a grumble, Tokoyami stood up, nodding to Katsuki; "Well fought." he said.

"Bad luck having to face me. Do better next time." Katsuki said, which was essentially a "Well Done" from the boy. Tokoyami took the words in the spirit they were meant and returned to the ring; his body mostly uninjured though his pride stung a bit.

Once the two boys were out of the arena, Present Mic began his announcements; "AFTER A SHORT TEN MINUTE BREAK, WE WILL BE HAVING THE SEMI FINALS! MIDORIYA WILL FACE YAOYOROZU IN THE FIRST MATCH AND TODOROKI WILL FACE BAKUGOU IN THE SECOND! GOOD LUCK YOU FOUR!"

The four semi-finalists exchanged looks. Momo and Izuka looked at one another with small, determined smiles while Shoto and Katsuki were glaring at one another; Shoto's gaze the epitome of ice and Katsuki's fierce glare embodying a fire that not even Endeavor could hope to reach.

The Semi-Finals would be a blast!


	21. The Light Builds

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 21: The Light Builds**

The ten minute break passed far too quickly for Izuka, who spent it pouring over her notebooks, thinking up strategies on how to beat Momo. The Problem with Momo was that she could literally pull out anything so long as it was inorganic. Momo's genius allowed her to understand extremely complex chemical compositions and mechanical creations, allowing her to make complex items with only a moment's thought, and that's when she isn't using Plus Ultra Mode, which allowed her to whip out almost anything in an instant. Izuka had overwhelming strength, the manoeuvrability of flight and powerful flames, but that all meant nothing if Momo could simply nullify them. Izuka only had the most basic of plans put together when she was called down to the arena, ready to battle. Katsuki was watching from the Prep Room as he readied himself to fight Todoroki, but he had wished her good luck with a kiss, or more accurately, he'd demanded she win and then kissed her breathless before sending the crimson cheeked girl on her way.

Momo had spent her ten minutes of prep time in a similar fashion, carefully thinking up plans and items to fight Izuka, then transferring the items' construction information from her own mind to her Quirk's consciousness. She had a fair few plans and contingencies in place, but when facing a foe of Izuka's power, it wouldn't do to become self-confident, so she remained cautious as she stood and went to the arena. Momo didn't like the idea of fighting Izuka very much, since the girl was like her little sister and had been a valued companion during their work for the Class Council, but she also recognised Izuka as a rival, competing with her every step of the way, especially in Academics, which was one of the few areas Izuka had yet to earn a victory in against Momo.

Finally, the time came and the two stepped out into the ring, bowing and shaking hands as they met in the centre before backing off and waiting for the fight to begin.

"AS THE FIRST OF OUR TWO SEMI-FINAL MATCHES, WE HAVE A DUAL BETWEEN CLASS 1-A's PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT! THE QUEEN OF CREATION MOMO YAOYOROZU WILL FACE THE FIERY ANGEL IZUKA MIDORIYA!"

"Are both fighters ready?" Midnight asked, looking between the two girls.

"I am ready!" Momo called.

"I am too!" Izuka added.

"Then let the match… BEGIN!"

Izuka struck first, jumping forward at incredible speed with a burst of fire and One for All. Her best bet was still to catch Momo before she could create something, as even at the incredible creation speed of her Plus Ultra Mode, Momo still needed a moment to create and use her items. Momo had anticipated this and rolled to the left of Izuka's dash, allowing her to dodge beneath the girl's outstretched wings that would have caught someone just dodging normally. Izuka stopped her dash just as Momo swung a metal staff at the back of her legs, hoping to topple her over the side of the arena. Izuka quickly flew up to evade the blow and was almost immediately hit in the back by a mystery projectile. Looking down, Izuka noticed her opponent pointing a small paintball gun at her, which was loaded with small blue pellets. Before Izuka could puzzle through what the pellets were, she suddenly felt her wings dissipate and drop her to the floor, forcing her to use One for All and a burst of fire to cushion her fall.

"What on earth?" Izuka complained, reaching back and scooping a wad of blue foam from her back.

Momo grinned, "These Pellets are filled with a similar formula to the inside of Fire Extinguishers. As soon as the membrane of the pellet breaks, the liquid rapidly expands into a foam that extinguishes fire, and I just soaked your back with it."

Izuka scowled; her flame wings were useless so long as that foam was on her. She considered just taking off her soaked jacket, but opted to save that for later, as if Momo hit her shirt too, she'd have to be basically topless to get another chance at flying. Izuka leapt at Momo instead, aiming a punch at the girl's jaw. Her blow struck Momo, though the other girl turned at the last instant, turning the strike into a glancing blow and allowing Momo to spin around and crack Izuka across the head with her metal staff. Izuka winced at the blow; even with One for All bolstering her defence, a metal pole to the head still hurt like hell. Despite her dizziness, Izuka attacked again, this time purposely baiting Momo into spinning again to deflect some of the force. As Momo turned to repeat her early strike, Izuka opened her fist and grabbed Momo's face, then used her strength to toss the girl into the air. Once Momo was in the sky, Izuka peppered her with her Phoenix Feathers, producing them from her hands instead of her wings. Momo's hand-eye coordination was top notch and she was able to shoot some of the projectiles with the pellets even while creating another weapon that resembled the rocket launcher she'd used on Kirishima. Unfortunately for Momo, Izuka's feathers were simply too numerous and they struck her, exploding with some fairly low intensity fire.

Momo hit the ground hard in a shower of flame, her created weapons flying from her hands. Izuka was sure it was over, until the other girl shakily stood up, her clothes destroyed to reveal another set underneath, namely a skin tight outfit with numerous zippers along the arms, legs and torso.

"Ugh, almost got me. I underestimated how many feathers you could shoot without using your wings. I had to make this suit under my clothes at the last second." Momo said, ignoring the pain in her ribs. Her face was very slightly burned since it had been exposed, but the fireproof suit protected the rest of her… it just didn't protect her from the fall.

"That's pretty incredible!" Izuka praised, before her face turned crimson as Momo began undoing the zippers. With all the zippers opened, the sleeves, legs, and abdomen were all removed, leaving Momo wearing what was essentially a fireproof sports bra and boy shorts. "W-Whoa! Too daring!" the younger girl squeaked.

Momo laughed; "I need exposed skin to make my items. As such, I've developed quite a confidence in my body and feel no shame in being exposed."

"That explains your Hero Gear… honestly, I feel like blushing just looking at you." Izuka complained, still blushing and trying to simultaneously watch her opponent and avert her eyes, which resulted in her looking shifty eyed and embarrassed.

"Well then, feel free to look away, it'll make this easier!" Momo declared, diving for the rocket launcher she'd made. Izuka's eyes widened and she quickly reacted, shooting some flame at the weapon, but Momo had grabbed her paintball gun while Izuka was distracted and shot enough pellets for the foam to quench the flames. Ending her dive with a roll, Momo grabbed the rocket launcher and immediately pointed it at Izuka. Expecting a net, Izuka prepared to dodge, but Momo just smirked and fired the launcher upwards instead. The rocket it fired flew up a few feet then exploded with a bright flash, similar to Katsuki's Stun Grenade attack. Izuka had kept her eyes on it, so she was immediately blinding. She heard the telltale sound of Momo creating something (an odd pixelated noise) and then Izuka knew nothing but a strange wetness and horrible stinging pain.

Izuka screamed and clawed at her eyes, trying to get the odd foam off of herself. This was different from the previous foam, yet it still prevented her from making fire. "W-What is this stuff!?" she cried, her hands stinging from pulling the foam from her eyes. Momo didn't answer, instead using Izuka's momentary disability to create some rubber gloves, then grab the girl by the waist and throw her towards the edge of the arena. The moment Izuka felt she was airborne, she growled and unleashed One for All from every pore of her body, causing all the foam to fly off and allowing her to conjure her wings and fly upwards while she rubbed her eyes. Her vision was foggy and her body stung worse now, as she'd used a bit too much of One for All in her urgency. Once she could see again, Izuka looked down at herself. Her uniform, on top of being fireproof, was designed to be resistant to tearing, so it was in one piece (though looser) following her use of One for All, but her exposed forearms and face were red, like she'd been sunburned.

"What did you shoot me with!?" Izuka yelled. The sting had lessened now, but not faded.

Momo looked sheepishly up at her friend; "A modified version of the Extinguisher Formula. I hybridised it… with pepper spray." Izuka grumbled in reply; she was used to worse pain thanks to Tomura, but she wasn't used to such irritating pain, the kind that made her want to claw at her skin despite the pain.

"Okay, well that was awful." Izuka said, "So I'm going to take things up a notch!" she declared. Her body became completed coated in flame, making her look like an angel made of fire. Even her hair was coated in flame, and her body crackled with green lightning as she channelled One for All at 20% through every cell of her body. "Phoenix Shroud!"

In the audience, Katsuki smirked; the Phoenix Shroud was a technique Izuka only used when she was really serious. It was dangerous since it was hard for Izuka to maintain control over the flames and One for All when they were used in tandem on such a large scale, so it was easy for Izuka to mistakenly use too much and either injure herself or cause a lot of damage to her opponent.

Momo's eyes narrowed and she pulled out the paintball gun to pelt Izuka again, but this time Izuka was ready for it and easily dodged the attacks or struck them with Phoenix Feathers. Izuka flew to the centre of the arena then flew upward, almost out the top of the stadium (if she left the Stadium, it would count as a loss). She stopped at the apex of her flight and spread her wings to their full span and began to absorb sunlight or more specifically, the heat of the sun. She drew all the heat in the stadium towards her slowly, lowering the temperature to the point that those in light clothing were shivering (including Momo). "Let's test how fireproof that suit actually is." Izuka smiled, focusing some fire into several small spheres, each the size of a bowling ball; "Here's a trick inspired by Ochako! OPHANIM SQUALL!" she yelled, sending dozens of the fire balls raining down on Momo, who used her athleticism to dodge and dance around them, taking care to also evade the small explosions they made on impact. Just as it seemed Momo was about to be cornered by several of the balls, she shocked the entire audience by pointing her palm at the closest orb and extinguished it with a jet of water.

"What the heck!? Yaomomo can create water too!?" Kaminari yelled, his jaw practically hitting the floor.

"She can make any inorganic material. Water is technically inorganic." Shoto said, not truly surprised.

"Yeah, don't you shits listen in science?" Katsuki sneered, "Organic Material has to include Carbon in it. Fucking Water is just H2O, it's like the easiest fucking inorganic substance to make."

Back in the arena, Momo was using all her energy to dodge or shoot water at the continuous rain of fire, but it was becoming clear that while she was weakening, Izuka was still going strong. Momo knew Izuka could recharge by absorbing heat, so while she was in an area with a lot of people and direct sunlight, she could siphon off their heat to replenish herself. On the flip side, Momo was running low on both stamina and raw material with which to create. She had deactivated her Plus Ultra Mode, which meant she couldn't access the knowledge she'd stored within it and thus the formula for the Extinguishers, not that she had the reserves to use them, which was why she was just using plain water. Izuka took notice of Momo's weakened state and decided now was the time to end things. The same feeling she'd had when fighting Tenya returned; a flickering spark in her soul that grew with each passing instant. It pulsed with her every heartbeat and she felt it on the verge of overflowing.

"Time to finish this, Momo! You may be like my big sister, but I'm going to beat you!" Izuka declared, raising her arms above her head and focusing her remaining fireballs into a single giant fireball, similar in size to the small moon Ochako had made when fighting Shoto. "I told you this was inspired by Ochako! OPHANIM SUN!" she yelled, sending the tiny sun directly at Momo. The move looked deadly, but to the trained eye of fire users and those with a lot of Hero Experience, it became clear the move was more about rigorous control as opposed to power. The attack wasn't a solid sphere of fire, but rather several hollow balls of fire inside one another, an inch of air between the layers of flame, which was dark orange due to being fairly low temperature. Without realising it, Izuka had not only made a move inspired by Ochako, but made one inspired by Momo and her love of Russian Nesting Dolls.

Momo shot all her remaining pellets and what water she could muster at the attack, but only succeeded in shrinking it a bit before it impacted her, popping like a fire balloon and blasting her out of the arena. The taller girl sighed in defeat, allowing her body to flop spread eagled on the ground as she panted. Izuka slowly landed, her Phoenix Shroud dispersed. Midnight nodded to her and called the match: "Yaoyorozu is out of bounds! Midoriya wins and advances to the finals!"

The crowd roared, but Izuka ignored them and ran to help Momo up, healing any burns on the girl. "That was a wonderful fight. You really had me a few times… I panicked when I got hit by that pepper spray foam."

"Thanks, but I lost outright. I bet Combat Heroes everywhere are torn between wanting to recruit you and thanking god that you don't want to become a Combat Hero yourself; you'd put them out of work!" Momo complimented. She was upset at losing and her pride definitely stung, but against the raw power Izuka held, it was probably inevitable. It would take a devoted fighter to pose a threat to the girl, and sadly, that wasn't Momo. Still, she was damn proud she'd pushed Izuka to using a trump card!

"THAT BATTLE WAS SO AMAZING I CAN BARELY FIND THE WORDS!" Present Mic's voice boomed; "BOTH GIRLS FOUGHT HARD AND PULLED OUT A LOT OF TRICKS AND PLANS! THIS YEAR'S HERO COURSE REALLY IS FULL OF WONDERS!"

"Yaoyorozu and Midoriya have had a friendly competition for the top spot in most exercises and tests since school began. They push each other quite well. Makes my job easier." Eraserhead said, making both girls blush and sigh at their teacher.

After a quick visit to Recovery Girl, Momo and Izuka returned to the stands, and were predictably swamped by congratulations. Momo received so many cheers and hugs that she almost forgot she'd been the loser of the fight. Katsuki grinned at Izuka and hugged her tightly the second the girl strayed within his reach.

"Kacchan!" Izuka giggled as Kacchan peppered her cheeks with kisses.

"Damn it Izuchan, that fight was fucking… UGH! If I wasn't afraid of All-Might killing my ass, I'd take you right here and now!" he growled huskily, his teeth bared in a lustful grin. Izuka squeaked and turned red as a tomato, then promptly swooned and fainted, her face steaming.

"Holy crap! I don't know if that was Manly or Scary!" Kirishima said, his hand twitching a bit as he was torn between high-fiving his friend or punching him for saying things like that about his little sister figure. Tsuyu had no such issue and slapped the back of Katsuki's head with her tongue.

"No corrupting the Class Cinnamon Bun." she said, completely serious.

Katsuki just flipped her off as Shoto frowned and used his ice to cool Izuka off and wake her up. She promptly growled adorably and meekly pounded on Kacchan's chest in embarrassment, her angry retorts reduced to embarrassed whines while Katsuki just smirked. Once she'd calmed down, Izuka found Ochako watching her teary eyed, having just got out of Recovery Girl's office before the fight began.

"Izuka..." she began, before promptly bursting into happy sobs and hugging the girl; "You...you made a move inspired by me! And you won with it! I love you so much Izuka! You're my best friend ever!"

Izuka smiled warmly, her face glowing with so much warmth and happiness, Tokoyami had to hide from it's light. "I love you too! You and Momo were the first girl friends I ever had and I care a lot about you both! Plus, you're both bigger than me, so as your little sister figure, I have to learn from you."

Ochako snorted, "Everyone in class is bigger than you! Except Mineta."

The two girls looked over to the Grape Boy, who was currently scrunching his eyes shut tight and muttering a Buddhist mantra to distract himself from Momo's exposed body. He was apparently quite devoted to his new "Non-Pervy" attitude, with the exception of the Cheerleader incident, but he's said that was an opportunity too good to miss… plus old habits die hard.

Turning back to her boyfriend, Izuka took Katsuki's hand; "You and Shoto are fighting next. Whoever wins will be fighting me in the finals." she said with a confident grin, "I'll walk you both down to the ring!"

Katsuki just grinned, still pumped from watching Izuka's fight, while Shoto shrugged and walked on the side of Izuka not currently occupied by the angry (and disturbingly aroused) blond. The walk was mostly in an awkward silence as the two boys refused to speak… no matter how hard she had tried in the last two weeks, Izuka hadn't been able to get the two to get along! Katsuki was usually someone who respected strength above all else, so she thought that with Shoto being strong and no longer holding back, they'd get along, but for some reason the two still seemed to hate each other.

"Hey, Kacchan, Shoto? Just so you know, I'll be supporting both of you out there. Kacchan as my boyfriend and Shoto as my friend. I'd be happy to face either of you in the finals, so fight hard! I'll be cheering for you!" she said, grabbing Shoto's hand so she was holding both.

Before either boy could respond, they were suddenly met by a tall, flaming figure coming around the corner. "Hey." Endeavor greeted.

"En-Endeavor!?" Izuka shrieked in surprise, torn completely between her anger for the man and her fangirl side wanting to meet a Pro Hero.

"What are you doing here?" Shoto demanded, subtly releasing Izuka's hand before his father noticed.

Endeavor raised an eyebrow as he looked at his son, then his eyes flicked towards Katsuki, who was openly sneering at the Number Two Hero. The disrespect irked him, but he was equally annoyed by the fact this boy was holding hands with the Midoriya Girl. A prior relationship might eventually mess up Endeavor's plans. "I'm here to talk to Midoriya, you two leave." he demanded imperiously.

"Better idea, how about you crawl back into whatever flaming asshole you crawled out of." Katsuki growled, stepping between his girlfriend and the hero.

"Leave, Father. You are not wanted here." Shoto said coldly.

Before Endeavor could reply, a voice echoed over the speaker system; "BAKUGOU AND TODOROKI, PLEASE REPORT TO THE ARENA IMMEDIATELY."

Endeavor smirked, "You two better run along, or you'll be disqualified."

"Fuck that! I ain't leaving Izuka with you, Shit Stain!" Katsuki yelled.

"Kacchan, Shoto, both of you need to go." Izuka suddenly interrupted, making both boys look at her like she was crazy. "Endeavor won't dare doing anything to me, he still has to worry about his reputation, and All-Might would destroy him if he hurt me. Go and have your match; I refuse to win today because of a technicality!"

The two boys growled and muttered under their breath, but ultimately obeyed, walking around Endeavor (though Katsuki made sure to slam his shoulder into the man) as he went. Once both boys were gone, Izuka turned to Endeavor with narrowed eyes; "What did you need?" she asked with forced politeness. Truth be told, she'd normally be intimidated by a man of this size, but the flames that Endeavor used to look intimidating only served to reassure Izuka and make her feel safe.

"I saw the power you wielded out there. You took down the Brainwasher, the brother of Ingenium and the Politician's daughter with incredible moves and no matter how injured you were, you always appeared back at the stands with full health and your energy restored. Power like that… it reminds me of a mix of All-Might and myself! If I didn't already know better, I'd have assumed you were that fool's biological child." Endeavor said, pointing at her.

Izuka frowned at the insult to her Papa, "What are you getting at? If you've nothing else to say, I want to watch this match."

"I owe you thanks." Endeavor said, "You ended my Shoto's foolish rebellion. Now he can finally begin achieving the goal I created him for. When he crushes that explosive boy in the next match, I hope you'll consider a relationship with him; you'll not find a better partner, and your quirks will ensure your child is God among Men."

Izuka's jaw hung open, her face colouring. She knew Endeavor was a supporter of Quirk Marriages and knew he was a real bastard, but to say something like that so brazenly! It made her skin crawl. "Don't count Kacchan out so easily. He's gotten just as far as Shoto!"

Endeavor scoffed; "My boy, Shoto has a duty to surpass All-Might. He won't lose to someone like that. When he fights you in the finals… it will prove his power to you, prove he is the better man. And it will prove a valuable test. Be sure to give it your all; our family doesn't need another weak woman, so put up a good fight."

Izuka's shock and disgust turned into rage, the kind of which she hadn't experienced before. It burned like a black flame inside her gut and her eyes narrowed dangerously on Endeavor. He had just managed to push every single one of her buttons in just a single conversation; first he insults her father, then he dismisses Kacchan and his hard work, then he talks about Shoto as if he's a tool, assumes Izuka will just drop the person she loves for the strongest person to come along, openly admits to encouraging a Quirk Marriage between her and Shoto, then insults Shoto's mother by calling her weak when it was HIS fault she was her current state. Izuka could barely contain her hatred, a feeling that scared her more than she'd like to admit.

Endeavor raised an eyebrow at her glares, "That's all I have to say. I hope you and Shoto end up in a profitable position." he said, offering his hand for her to shake.

Izuka schooled her features into a neutral expression. "It's rude to offer your hand to shake while wearing gloves if the other person isn't too." she said, emotionless. That was a piece of etiquette she'd learnt from Aizawa-Sensei when she was 11.

Endeavor scoffed but removed his glove, now offering his bare hand for her to shake. Izuka took it, then promptly clamped down tightly with One for All, ensuring Endeavor couldn't just pull free. "You know, I hate you." Izuka said, as if discussing the weather. "Shoto is such a nice person, but he has no idea how to act around others because of what you've done to him. He has the spirit of a true hero, but your actions have meant his every deed has your shadow over it like a black stain. He uses his fire now and has resolved to try and live his life according to his own wishes, without you influencing his decisions, but I still see him struggling with it."

"Tch, you even talk like that damned All-Might." Endeavor growled, lightly struggling to pull his hand free. Why was this girl so strong?

"I'm not All-Might… and Shoto isn't you! He's fighting his hardest because he wants to be Number One for his own sake! Maybe he'll beat Kacchan and fight me, or maybe he'll lose. But whatever happens, whether I face Shoto or Kacchan in the finals, I want you to stay. I want you to watch me win and become Number One, just like All-Might would..." her hands began to heat up, her flames crackling beneath the surface of her skin, "and once you've seen me win… I'll be calling you down. The final event is an Exhibition Match between the winner and a Pro Hero. I'll face you, and I'll show you exactly how wrong you were to dare hurt my friend!"

She abruptly dropped Endeavor's hand, as if it was something filthy, then turned and stalked off to watch the match. Endeavor stood, shell shocked as she walked away. He hadn't expected that kind of resistance from the timid girl. He idly went to put his glove back on, when he noticed a twinge of pain. Looking down, his eyes widened; there on his hand, where Izuka's thumb had been, was a small burn. Endeavor was only immune to his own flames, but his resistance to heat and other fire was second to none! Yet for the first time since he was a small child, he had been burned. The cold hand of dread gripped his insides and he had a sinking feeling that he had just made a dangerous enemy.

When Izuka reached the stands, she was relieved to see the match hadn't begun yet as Katsuki and Shoto were stood glaring at each other. She gently pushed passed her classmates to reach the railings and shouted to them; "KATSUKI! SHOTO! DO YOUR BEST!" she yelled.

The two boys looked up and their expressions immediately filled with relief to see she was fine and unharmed. Present Mic began his announcements: "OHO! SOME WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FROM OUT FIRST FINALIST MIDORIYA! NOW FOR THE FINAL SEMI-FINAL BATTLE, WE HAVE THE FURIOUS ATOMIC BLASTER; KATSUKI BAKUGOU VERSUS THE HOT AND COLD KING OF CALM; SHOTO TODOROKI!"

Midnight stepped forward: "Are you prepared to fight?"

"I'm going to conquer this Two Faced Fuck. He can be an eternal loser, just like dear daddy." Katsuki growled.

"Try it, you thug. I'll leave you as a popsicle." Shoto retorted.

Both boys were so much more fired up, their earlier arguments and the brief encounter with Endeavor fuelling their anger and irritation. Midnight chuckled at their spirit and raised her arm; "In that case, match… START!"

The word hadn't even finished when Shoto suddenly ducked to the ground and slammed his right hand into the floor, creating a huge wave of ice that completely engulfed Katsuki. For a moment, it looked like the fight was already over, but Katsuki soon burst out of the ice, having used an explosion to prevent the ice from covering his arms and torso (though his legs had been caught). Glaring, Katsuki put his hands to his frozen legs and exploded them, freeing him and launching himself at Todoroki just as the other boy aimed his left hand to bathe Katsuki in flame. With another explosion, Katsuki flipped over the stream of fire, grabbing Shoto by the hair as he flew over him, then the moment Katsuki's feet hit the ground, he twisted his body and tossed Shoto with a small explosion. Shoto flew towards the edge of the ring, but managed to touch his hand to the ground as he went to create a wall of ice, which soon became an ice ramp that allowed Shoto to correct his position and slide directly towards Katsuki. Katsuki dodged the end of the icy road and leapt to hit Shoto with an explosion, but the dual-coloured boy managed to dodge to the right and grab Katsuki's outstretched arm with his left. With a smirk, Shoto ignited his hand and burned Katsuki, but the boy just growled and kicked Shoto in the face, loosening his grip and allowing Katsuki to shoot himself backward, landing on Shoto's ice wall and using it as a perch.

"Dumbass." Katsuki sneered, showing his burned wrist. The burn was really just a slightly reddened patch of skin. "I create literal explosions and spent my childhood fighting with Izuka! I'm fucking resistant to fire!" he yelled. Raising both hands high in the air, Katsuki slammed them down with a massive explosion, launching him into the air, where he began using smaller explosions to make him spin in mid-air and create a smokescreen. Katsuki was coming right at Shoto, hidden within a cyclone of ash and smoke. Shoto growled and raised both hands, activating Plus Ultra Mode and igniting himself with cold fire. He had wanted to hide this from his father, but… but he wanted to win!

"HOWITZER IMPACT!" Katsuki roared.

"NINTH CIRCLE FLAME!" Shoto roared back.

A massive burst of icy blue flames shot from Shoto and collided with Katsuki, who's hands ignited a huge explosion. The arena was engulfed in a massive sphere of flame, which was split perfectly down the middle; the right side being blue and cold while the left was red and hot. In the crowd, Izuka couldn't help but see the resemblence to Shoto and his dual coloured hair. When the flames dissipated, the arena was in ruins; the left side was a wasteland of ash, dust and glowing hot rubble while the right was like all colour had been drained away as everything was coated in a sheet of pure white frost. On the left, Katsuki struggled to stand, his body burned by the backlash of his attack. On the right, Shoto was in a similar position, though he was almost frozen solid and shivering violently. The force of their attacks had been equal, so when they collided, they were both forced backward and Katsuki and Shoto ended up as victims to their own techniques.

Katsuki smirked through the pain of his burns… "Shit… I haven't been burned this bad since Izuchan learnt to control Phoenix Shroud..." he chuckled. Once again, he'd lost his shirt from the fire; it seemed he was destined to be bare chested in today's fights.

Shoto shuddered; "I c-c-can't believe my attack was blown b-b-back… D-d-d-damn it..." he shivered violently, trying hard to light his flames beneath the layer of frost. Technically speaking, if Shoto could thaw himself out, he'd be in a better position health wise, since Katsuki couldn't shake off his burns, but his stamina had taken a hit, since he'd used Plus Ultra Mode while Katsuki hadn't. It took a moment, but he was finally able to stoke enough of a fire within himself to begin thawing the frost, the boy sighing with relief as the ice melted off him. Suddenly, Shoto found himself being blown backwards by an explosive punch he hadn't seen coming. Katsuki had charged just as the steam from his melting ice covered Shoto's eyes. The Ice User groaned as he just barely managed to stop himself from falling out of the ring with a wall of ice; Katsuki's battle instincts were second to none.

Despite his pain, Katsuki wasn't going to give Shoto an inch, and immediately ran forward to punch Shoto again. The other boy ducked beneath the punch, so Katsuki only managed to smash the ice before he was punched in the gut by Shoto's frozen fist. Katsuki was winded, but shook it off quickly and kept going, throwing punch after punch at Shoto, who was fully on the defensive and with nearly no windows to counter attack. Katsuki read his every move and always positioned his legs and non-attacking arm in the proper position to block or deflect Shoto's counter attack and to make things worse for Shoto, he was being forced to create more and more ice to defend himself so his temperature was lowering, and Katsuki's rapid movement and activity was making the Explosive Boy sweat, so his attacks grew stronger. As a last ditch gambit, Shoto reactivated Plus Ultra Mode and poured both fire and ice into both arms, allowing him to blast cold water at Katsuki, who was pushed back by the force of it. Once there was some distance, Shoto unleashed all the ice and cold fire he could, freezing the entire arena in a gigantic mountain of ice with Katsuki at the centre.

"This… match… is… mine!" Shoto declared, panting hard. His stamina was at it's lowest point, his skin was deathly pale and his lips were blue. He was on the edge of hypothermia, but it was worth it! He'd won!

Or so he thought.

Before Midnight could call the match, the ice mountain shattered and then suddenly melted to nothing in a massive sphere of heat and fire as Katsuki repeated his earlier move against Honenuki: the Atomic Flash. Katsuki landed hard on the ground a few feet from the astonished Shoto, his body reddened and overheating. The Atomic Flash was an amazing move, but it consumed all his sweat and also pushed his heat resistance to the absolute limit. After using it, Katsuki was unable to use his quirk again for a little while. Shoto growled.

"Oh come on…! You've got no strength left and can't even muster the sweat to use your quirk! Just give up." Shoto yelled, exasperated.

Katsuki looked up at him, his cheeks bulging out as if he was going to throw up at the very thought of surrendering, but no, the real reason was much grosser and more terrifying… he opened his mouth and a mass of clear fluid with a strong chemical smell splashed onto Katsuki's fists.

"What the…!?" Shoto yelled while Katsuki grinned.

"Do you think I'm fucking dumb? I know how Atomic Flash works and what it does to me, which is why I saved some of my Nitroglycerin and held it in my stomach to stop it detonating with the rest. Leaves a fucking bad taste in my mouth, but not as bad as losing to you!" Katsuki declared, his hands dripping with explosive sweat. "Now do me a favour and fucking die!" he roared, jumping towards Shoto by igniting the sweat that had slipped through his fingers and hit the floor. He was directly above Shoto now, and the Icy boy couldn't move, his body too stiff and cold. Katsuki put his hands together and intertwined his fingers, slamming his twin fists down on Shoto with all the explosive power he had left: "MEGATON HAMMER!"

Shoto felt no pain or heat, as the sheer force of the blow knocked all his senses out of whack, leaving him on the floor with an expression of pure shock. After a few seconds, Midnight examined the boy then nodded; "Todoroki is unable to continue! Bakugou wins and will face Midoriya in the finals!"

Katsuki shot his fist into the air, grinning widely at his girlfriend. Izuka was screaming louder than the rest of the crowd, cheering and celebrating happily. Both were eager to face each other… it'd be the first no holds barred match of their lives.

Shoto tried to get up, but his strength was too low. To his surprise, Katsuki offered his hand; "Get up, Half n Half. You walked in, so walk out."

The other boy just stared for a moment, before taking Katsuki's hand and being roughly pulled to his feet. When he stumbled, Katsuki groaned and put Shoto's arm over his shoulders and helped carry him out. "W-Why are you helping me? I thought you hated me?"

"I did. But like I said, I ain't fucking dumb. You and my Rabbit are friends, so even if I don't like it, I'm not going to be a major asshole, since it'd upset her. Stupid Deku making me act all mushy and shit..." Katsuki grumbled. He took a couple of steps before speaking again; "I'll be real with you; I fucking despised you for not using your fire to save Izuka from those villains at the USJ. But I fucked up that day too, so I can't judge you too much. I'd have forgiven you already after Izuka did, but I couldn't… not without kicking your ass first. Now I've beaten you into the dirt, I can let myself forgive you… but I won't forget it."

Shoto chuckled weakly; "Does this make us friends?"

"Fuck no! This makes us acquaintances at best." Katsuki spat.

Shoto nodded, then looked Katsuki in the eye, "You know, if I'd won, I'd have confessed to Izuka."

Katsuki's expression turned… odd. His mouth was set in a line and his eyes looked almost bored. "Feel free to confess anyway."

"Think she'd refuse just 'cause I lost?"

The Explosive Boy barked a mocking laugh; "You dumbass… Izuka ain't the kind of girl to go for the strongest. To be honest, I've got no fucking clue why she loves me, but I trust her. So confess all you like; I've got nothing to worry about."

Shoto nodded thoughtfully. "Hey, Bakugou, do me a favour and face me towards my father."

Katsuki made a non-committal grunt and looked around, spotting Endeavor just a few feet to the left of the Class 1-A box. He turned the two of them to face him. Shoto grinned weakly and struggled to lift his left hand, shakily giving the middle finger to his dad, a tiny candle flame on the tip. "N-not quite the giant flaming finger I had planned, but it'll do." Shoto smirked.

Endeavor scowled furiously and Katsuki laughed; "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually almost fucking proud of you, Half-n-Half." Shoto chuckled in response and the two walked to Recovery Girl. When they arrived at the office, they found Izuka had already raced there and was waiting for them. She didn't give either a moment to say a word as she forced the two into bed and began healing them with Pink Flames while Recovery Girl observed. Shoto was back to almost full capacity by the time she was done, since he wasn't actually that badly hurt, just tired, and Katsuki only took a little while longer. He'd need to wait about 15 minutes before fighting again, so his sweat glands could start working properly again.

"You both did great out there. I'm really proud of you both!" Izuka smiled.

Shoto smiled softly; "Even though I lost?"

Izuka nodded; "In a fight like that, so long as you gave it your all, it's fine to lose. Just remember that in the real world, you'll need to go beyond your best!"

"Huh, Plus Ultra." Shoto said, "Izuka… could I have a word with you alone?"

Izuka tilted her head; "Sure. I think they're planning a Third Place Decider Match, so you'll be facing Momo in about twenty minutes. Let's go outside. Kacchan, are you going to be okay here by yourself?"

Katsuki rolled his eyes; "Yes mother. I don't need you to watch me every moment of every day." he sassed.

"Don't get cheeky with me, or you'll get no dessert!" Izuka joked with a playful waggle of her finger before taking Shoto by the hand and leading him out of the office. Once the door shut behind them, Recovery Girl looked towards Katsuki, who was lounging with his hands behind his head.

"You aren't worried about leaving your girlfriend with another boy?" she said with a knowing smile.

"I trust her. Izuka's not the type to ditch me… if she had the slightest feelings for another guy, she'd talk to me about it. I've got nothing to worry about." Katsuki said dismissively, idly watching the monitor which was displaying highlights of his fight with Todoroki.

Elsewhere, Izuka led Shoto to the small grove of trees just outside the Sports Festival Stadium, since it was the only place they wouldn't likely be disturbed. Izuka knew Shoto well enough to know that if he wanted to discuss something alone, he'd get embarrassed or upset if someone overheard. Once safely hidden beneath the canopy of the trees, Izuka turned to Shoto with a smile, her skin illuminated by the beams of light that broke through the veil of leaves. Shoto gulped; Izuka looked really cute like that; her face was lit up, highlighting her freckled cheeks and making her bright green eyes shine even more.

"I… I have to confess something. Izuka, I feel like… I've developed feelings for you." Shoto confessed, trying to speak evenly despite the nerves making his voice crack a bit towards the end.

Izuka blushed and gasped; "S-Shoto! R-Really? You're not messing with me, are you?"

"No. I'm serious… I had hoped to confess after defeating Bakugou and facing you in the finals. I felt that if I faced you seriously, then I'd earn the right, but… I lost, so this is all I could offer."

Izuka gulped; "Shoto, I'm flattered, I truly am, but I can't return those feelings. Please believe me when I say you really are important to me, you're a great friend and I don't want to lose that, but… but I can't be your girlfriend. I'm sorry."

Shoto frowned; to be honest, since speaking with Bakugou, he had been prepared for this. Oddly, he had feared the inevitable rejection would rip his heart out, but instead, he just felt… sad. Not cripplingly miserable or heartbroken… just sad. "I see..." he finally said, "I understand. That's disappointing, but not overly surprising I suppose. Bakugou… you really love him, don't you."

"Yes, I do." Izuka said, not embarrassed at all about admitting it. "Since I was a baby, I've looked up to him. I felt proud that someone as amazing as him could want to be friends with me, and after I was rescued from All for One, Kacchan never wanted to leave me alone. He was so scared of me being taken again… Shoto, can I ask a slightly personal question?"

"Sure. I've said about the most embarrassing thing I could, so go ahead." Shoto half-joked.

"Have you ever been friends with a girl before? Not liked them romantically, but just been a friend?"

The boy frowned; "You're my only friend. The others in class are getting there, but I don't really know how to talk to girls, so I'm still a bit of a stranger to them."

Izuka smiled kindly; "Then how do you know your feelings for me are like that? I had a similar fear a while back, when I became friends with Tenya when school started. I liked him a lot and wanted to spend time with him, so I started to be afraid that I had a crush on him. Then I became friends with you and Eijiro and suddenly, I realised that what I felt for Tenya was just how I felt towards male friends. When you don't really have a lot of friends growing up, it gets confusing when you suddenly have a lot. Heck, I thought I had a crush on Momo for like an hour before I made friends with Ochako, since they were my first female friends!"

Shoto chuckled, "Honestly… you're too much sometimes, you know that? But I suppose you're right. I don't know what it means or feels like to have friends. But I have to ask; what if it is different from what I feel? What if what I feel for you really is love?"

Izuka looked him in the eye; "No matter what Shoto, I will be your friend. I'll be by your side; it might not be what you want, but it's the best I can offer. I won't abandon you so… do you think that'll be enough?"

Shoto nodded; "Yes… I think that would be good. Thank you Izuka."

"You're welcome! You know it's funny, when you wanted to talk after the USJ, I was afraid you were going to confess to me then! I was such a nervous wreck 'cause I didn't know how to deal with boys yet! It was before I got to spend time with all the other guys and become pals! You were the class cool guy, so I was scared witless!" Izuka giggled.

"What do you mean "were"? Aren't I still the class cool guy?" Shoto teased.

Izuka laughed; "Nah, you're a big dork on the inside. Tokoyami is the new class cool guy." she retorted. Shoto laughed as well and soon, the trees were full of echoed laughter as two young souls briefly forgot about all their burdens and pain. When they finally returned to the arena, Shoto felt truly content; he hadn't won Izuka's heart like he hoped, but he was happy to have her friendship; he decided that was enough.

It was starting to get late now, and it was decided the Finals would take place after dinner, but before hand, the Third Place Decider Match between Momo and Shoto would be fought. The arena had been repaired again and Izuka waved to Shoto as he left for the ring and she continued on to the class box. When she got there, she briefly saw Endeavor standing a few feet to the left of the box. He looked pissed, which warmed Izuka's heart.

"Hey Izuka." Ochako smiled, waving for her to come and sit between her and Tenya.

"Hi Ochako. Did I miss much?" Izuka asked.

"Nope! Bakugou and Todoroki were both awesome! I guess Bakugou is still in the infirmary though? Are you going to be okay fighting him?" Ochako said worriedly.

"Yep, but it's fine. Kacchan and I have fought lots of times. We trained together since we were ten. This will just be the first time we got to go all out. We both want to win though, so we'll be fighting hard." Izuka grinned, more excited than she wanted to admit. While the concept of fighting didn't turn her on like it did Kacchan, she was still enjoyed the exhilarating feeling of both watching and participating in a good battle; nothing got the blood flowing quite like it.

"I am impressed! You and Bakugou make an odd pair, but you fit together flawlessly. You are inspiring to watch, though I hope you win! I lost to you after all, so I'd like to have lost to the best!" Tenya declared.

"Right!" Izuka chirped.

Suddenly, a loud buzzing was heard and Tenya's entire body vibrated violently. Ochako and Izuka nearly jumped out of their skins, before Tenya pulled his phone from his pocket. Still, the two girls couldn't help but wonder why he had the vibration set so high! Tenya looked at the caller Id, seeing his mother there.

"Ah, this is my mother. Please excuse me." he said, heading to the back to answer. Putting his phone to his ear, he spoke; "Hello Mother. I regret to say I lost earlier. I apologise if I disappointed you..."

" _Tenya! Oh my son, no this isn't about that. Tenya, I need you to stay calm and listen to me; it's Tensei..."_ Tenya's body went rigid; _"Your brother… a villain got him. We're at Hosu General Hospital… it's bad Tenya."_

"Mother, say no more. I'll be there soon." Tenya said mechanically, hanging up. He power-walked to Izuka and Ochako, "My friends, I'm afraid I must cut out ahead of schedule. My brother was attacked by a villain."

Ochako gasped and Izuka frowned. "It's fine Tenya, go be with your brother." the green haired girl said, "If… if the doctors have trouble or Tensei can't be healed by regular means, then call me. I don't care what time or where I am or what I'm doing; call me and I'll come running." she said seriously.

Tenya hesitated, then nodded, "Thank you Izuka." he said, then dashed off as fast as he could. Izuka turned her attention back to the arena, hoping with all her heart that Tensei would be alright.

In the arena, Shoto and Momo went to shake hands. "Fighting for Third Place feels kind of strange." Shoto admitted as he shook Momo's hand.

"I agree. Apparently this is the first year were they've done it. The Battle Tournament is the most popular and longest event, so it gets a lot of attention and the TV stations running it get a lot of ad revenue. U.A is probably extending it to earn more money." Momo said. While Shoto and Momo wanted to do their best, they both felt it was difficult to get hyped when fighting for third place. It really only meant who got to stand on the podium with Izuka and Katsuki, and which would get to wear the bronze medal.

"Hey, since this match is basically just an excuse to get more revenue from advertisers, why don't we put on a show." Shoto suggested.

"How do you mean?" Momo asked.

Shoto smirked, "We fight, but instead of going for victory with every move, we show off our quirks and use a lot of flashy moves for the sake of entertaining the crowd. Kind of like a stage fight."

Momo whistled, "That's an interesting idea, and to be honest, I didn't expect that from you!"

"It isn't something I'd normally consider, but I'm already out of the running for the top spot, and my father hates showy fights that aren't fought seriously. I just want to piss him off." Shoto admitted, completely shamelessly.

Momo giggled; "Well alright then! I can't say I like Endeavor either. Let's just have fun with this." she said. With a shared conspiratorial smile, the two seperated and headed back to their sides of the arena to await Present Mic's announcement.

"OKAY BOYS AND GIRLS, IT'S TIME FOR THE THIRD PLACE DECIDER MATCH! THIS IS A NEW EVENT FOR THIS YEAR'S BATTLE TOURNAMENT, SO LET'S GIVE OUR TWO FIGHTERS A BIG HAND! THIS FIGHT IS BETWEEN MOMO YAOYOROZU AND SHOTO TODOROKI! LET'S SEE WHICH ONE IS DESERVING OF THE BRONZE MEDAL!"

The moment Midnight started the match, it became clear to the audience that this fight was going to be… odd. Rather than the usual beginning where one of the fighters would immediately launch an attack, both fighters began charging large moves in full view of each other. Shoto was the first to finish (whatever Momo was creating was taking a lot of time) so he activated Plus Ultra Mode and coated himself in both the red hot flames and the icy blue flames in a similar fashion to how Endeavor had his costume… only instead of Endeavor; the red and blue flames were shaped to resemble All-Might's hero costume (complete with two fire prongs like All-Might's hair). The white of the costume was ice and the yellow was the hottest flames Shoto could muster. Shrouded in his "All-Might Flame", Shoto posed like the Number One Hero, complete with a dazzling smile. It wasn't an All-Might smile, but a real, open Shoto smile and it warmed Izuka's heart to see it. She also didn't miss how Endeavor scowled in the audience. Momo smirked at the get up and decided to play along, recreating her heatproof suit from earlier in All-Might colours and style. However once the costume was finished, it became clear what she had really been making, as four massive missile pods appeared from behind her. The four pods were connected to a backpack that Momo wore, with two pods being clipped to Momo's belt and two being clipped to her shoulders. Two prongs came out from the backpack and lined up with Momo's arms, allowing her to grasp the joystick like ends which housed the triggers.

It was a bizarre All-Might Mirror Match, with a Fire All-Might and a Missile All-Might.

Shoto attacked first, running forward to throw a flurry of elemental punches at Momo, using both fire types and ice, all while screaming "Red, White and Blue SMASH!". Momo giggled even as she sluggish dodged (those missile pods weighed a ton) before counter attacking. The Missile Pods on her hips began to rapidly shoot small missiles which exploded into various brightly coloured chemicals that painted the plain white concrete of the arena as Shoto dodged around them. By the time the hip pods were empty, the arena looked like a massive abstract painting. However, the chemicals weren't just colours… they all had strange effects based on formulas Momo had learned to create (some of which had been donated by Mei Hatsume after Momo agreed to help sponsor her with her family wealth). The chemicals included the bouncy, slippery and accelerating goo, but also included liquid stink bombs, the extinguisher foam in a paint-like form, sticky slime and an ominous red liquid that released a haunting smell that made Shoto want to pause just to smell it. The chemicals weren't too dangerous, but they made it inconvenient for Shoto to move around the arena, so he was forced to prioritize which chemicals to step in, which usually meant stepping in the liquid stink or the red stuff.

"This is just disgusting." Shoto groaned as he got another whiff of the horrible smell mixing with the intoxicating stench.

"Oh, I'm not done just yet!" Momo grinned, aiming the shoulder missile pods into the sky and unleashing a massive barrage. Half the missiles exploded in mid-air as fireworks in red, white and blue while the others homed in on Shoto. Naturally, Shoto dodged them as best he could, but when he had to choose between blocking a shot and stepping in some sticky gunk, he chose to block, where upon he discovered the low powered explosives were full of funny little beads that appeared to be made of some kind of glass or crystal. Upon closer inspection, Shoto discovered the beads were actually just a very thin layer of crystal surrounding a hallucinogenic powder that he accidentally inhaled in his surprise.

He wasn't sure exactly what the powder did, but he suspected it had something to do with the fact that their were now eleven multicoloured Momos, the clouds above now looked like elephants with sausage links for trunks and the ground was apparently trying to eat him. Momo laughed as Shoto stumbled and wobbled around the arena, dodging missiles without even seeming to mean to. He evaded one because he got stuck and ducked to pull himself free and jumped over another one because he fell face first into the bouncy goo. It was an insane thing to watch; the son of Endeavor covered in All-Might themed flames essentially bumbling his way through the missile barrage. Class 1-A was laughing themselves sick watching it and nearly everyone could hear Katsuki's loud mocking laughter from Recovery Girl's office.

Eventually though, the powder wore off and Shoto snapped back to reality, red-faced and with a twitching eye. "Oh, now it's on." he growled, leaping at Momo. Momo hadn't expected her hallucinogen to wear off so soon, so she was caught off guard as Shoto landed beside her and encased the missile pods on her left side in so much ice that the weight caused Momo to topple over. Because the backpack they were attached too was clipped tightly to Momo's back, all she could do was flail in vain and eventually give up with a pout. She was basically like a turtle and every time Momo tried to unclip herself from her weapons, Shoto would shoot a spark at her fingers than make a tutting noise like she was a small child constantly having her hand swatted for trying to grab a sharp object.

"You're not going to let me up, are you?" Momo pouted.

"Nope." he replied.

"Would it help if I said I was sorry?"

Shoto frowned; "You drugged me. Suffer."

Momo gave one last meaningless attempt to get back on her feet before finally giving up for good. "Fine… I surrender."

Midnight, who was red faced from stifling her laughter, stepped forward, "Yaoyorozu has surrendered. Todoroki wins and claims Third Place!"

The crowd roared as Shoto finally allowed Momo to unclip herself and stand up. The two then did a show bow to the audience, making the audience laugh again.

"WELL THAT WAS SOMETHING!" Present Mic laughed, "IN POSSIBLY THE FIRST COMEDY FIGHT IN U.A SPORTS FESTIVAL HISTORY, TODOROKI HAS WON AND CLAIMED THE BRONZE MEDAL!"

Izuka grinned, both from amusement at the match, a vindictive pleasure at seeing Endeavor so angry, her Papa's proud face as the two fighters donned his colours, and eagerness for the next battle. Present Mic dismissed everyone to eat dinner, before they gathered for the last fight.

It was nearly upon them… soon Izuka and Katsuki would battle for First Place; a small scale replica of their inevitable perpetual battle for the rank of Number One. Izuka clenched her fist; she would win… she'd be Number One!


	22. The Light Bursts Forth

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter22: The Light Bursts Forth**

Unlike Lunch, Dinner was a fairly calm affair since only Izuka and Katsuki still had to fight. Katsuki was still in the infirmary, though he'd long since been able to leave. He'd simply decided that the next time he faced Izuka, it would be when they fought. He sat alone, Recovery Girl having gone to eat with the staff after giving him another Bento Box like the one Auntie Inko had made for him at lunch. However, this one was made by Izuka… it was tasty, though it lacked the practised expertise of Inko's meals. Still, it tasted so much better.

As he ate, Katsuki thought back to how everything had began. Izuka had been introduced to him when they were both newborns; Inko had put Izuka down to sleep in his crib during a visit between her and Katsuki's mom. Katsuki had no memory of this naturally, but there were pictures of the two babies holding hands in their sleep. That had continued as they grew up; Izuka was always small, always timid, but she was spirited and when she smiled or laughed, the room lit up. Katsuki had always liked that. The two found a mutual love of Heroes and were determined to become Heroes together. To Katsuki, it was natural for him to decide to marry her when they grew up; she was a girl that he liked and they shared a dream; to a four year old it made all the sense in the world. Then Katsuki's quirk manifested and the compliments began. He and Izuka had always been smart for their age and had been complimented for it; Izuka took it shyly but happily while Katsuki allowed it to build his pride. As far as he was concerned, with his intelligence and quirk and all his skills, he was an amazing person.

Then Izuka was diagnosed as Quirkless.

Everything shifted after that. Katsuki had begun to associate his quirk with his greatness. He had a good quirk and got lots of compliments, so he was great. Izuka didn't have a quirk, so by that same logic, it meant she wasn't great. She had no quirk so had no use; she was a Deku. That was when the bullying started and even years later, Katsuki wished he could have beaten his younger self into the dirt for what he did. He had thought of himself as great while Deku was useless, so when she continued to walk behind him, trailing after him and even standing up to him when he was putting some other kid in their place, his view became skewed. On the one hand, he began to doubt himself, which made him angry; Izuka still prattled on about Heroes and standing up for what's right, so when she stood up to him, did that mean he was wrong? On the other hand, his insecurity about his own power made him see it as Izuka, weak and pathetic Izuka, stood up to him because despite her being quirkless and him having a quirk, she thought she was better than him. He thought she was looking down on him… It was a vicious cycle, and Izuka… his poor Izuka had been the victim of it.

Then on that fateful day at the park, someone else acknowledged how amazing his quirk was… by attempting to kidnap him so he could steal it. Katsuki would have been powerless to stop it; he'd have been taken, his quirk stolen and then killed or worse, turned into a brain dead Noumu. But Izuka, the girl he bullied and scorned, had leapt to his rescue. No quirk, no hope of survival, and yet she saved him, someone that Katsuki couldn't ever believe was worth her sacrifice. And then she was gone. For a long, miserable year, Katsuki wallowed in his sorrow. He realised too late that Izuka had never thought herself better than him, that powerful Quirks didn't make a Hero. She hadn't been standing up to him to challenge him (he had been wrong, she was right) and she hadn't been looking down on him (she should have, he was pathetic). She had been acting like a Hero, and her final act before being swallowed by darkness proved it.

When she finally returned; hurt and afraid, but alive, Katsuki had made up his mind. He would make up for what he'd done… he'd repent his sins. He had gone to the hospital to see her, ready to throw himself to the floor and beg for forgiveness he didn't think he deserved, only for Izuka to smile at him and be just so damn happy he was alright. Even in the midst of torture, she'd been worried about him. That was the moment he realised… Izuka was no human and no hero; she was an angel that had, for some incomprehensible reason, come to love him. Everything had changed after that; the two competed for their dreams but did not begrudge the other for wanting the same thing. Their friendship was rekindled and became like a shining sun; and for the first time in his life, Katsuki felt that he understood what it meant to be in love. He had kissed her tenderly at her parents' wedding and she had glowed with happiness.

Katsuki had been blessed. He thought on this as he ate his dinner. He thought on it as he walked to the arena. He thought on it as he stood across from the person he loved most and prepared to fight. No matter what happened; no matter who won this fight, Katsuki would be happy… but he still wanted to win, so he'd face Izuka with all his might and show her she was right to choose a lowly person like him to love!

Izuka ate dinner with her parents in a small outdoor cafe that had been erected in the grounds of U.A. Her parents were happily chatting away, but in truth, Izuka was only barely paying attention and making short comments out of courtesy. She wondered how Kacchan liked the dinner she'd made for him. It had been a bit of a last minute idea she'd had the night before the festival and it had come to her in the middle of the night so she had immediately bolted out of bed to make it. She was sure it tasted good, but it probably didn't look as good as her mom's, since she'd been half asleep while making it.

Things with Kacchan had always been chaotic and hard to predict, but Izuka liked that. It was an impossible to predict roller coaster ride that never failed to leave her breathless and laughing. Izuka's earliest memories hadn't been of her mother or Hisashi, but of Kacchan. She'd learnt to walk by watching his back as he toddled about with the confidence only he could possess. From the very beginning, Izuka aspired to be like him; as brave and as strong and as talented. In her young mind, Kacchan had been a hero just like All-Might! He'd been so great and when his quirk came in, Izuka had been so excited! He was the second entry in her very first Hero Notebook (after All-Might) and she never questioned why she'd put him there despite him not being a hero yet. She had dreamt of being even half as great as him when her quirk came in, her dream of becoming Number One beside him!

Then she'd been diagnosed as quirkless and her world fell apart.

Kacchan suddenly turned cold towards her. He comforted her when her father abandoned her, but he was angry with her. Izuka was miserable… Kacchan had always said they'd be partners, but now her stupid body had failed her and she'd gone and ruined his dream. He tolerated her following him around still, tolerating the one who ruined his dreams following him. But then he started getting angry; if she tried to help him, he'd get mad (someone strong like him didn't need someone pathetic like Izuka treating him like a baby) and he'd bully other kids, forcing Izuka to stand up to him (he was a Hero! She couldn't stand to see him act like a villain because of her failure).

On the day Kurogiri took her away, a small part of Izuka was happy; at least her weak and pathetic self had been able to save Kacchan; her only friend! But then the pain had started; the inescapable cycle of torture, death and resurrection. In her darkest moment, she had longed to disappear; to sink into the void her death thrust her into and never return. Surely that was for the best… if she wasn't there, maybe Mommy and Daddy would get back together and be happy… maybe Kacchan would be able to accomplish his dream without her weighing him down. It would be best if she just disappeared forever…

But she didn't disappear; she returned like always but this time, she was angry and sickened by herself. How could she think such things!? Mommy wouldn't be happy because she was gone, and Kacchan wasn't so shallow as to cast her aside so easily! After all, he hadn't cast her aside when she was quirkless, so he wouldn't do it now!

When she was finally rescued, Izuka got to see Kacchan again and her heart swelled as he ran to embrace her. He had missed her and wanted her back! He confessed he had been wrong about her, confessed he had been bad (a part of Izuka argued, but her common sense agreed) and cast aside his pride to be by her side again. Katsuki Bakugou, one of the people she respected most, believed in her and declared she could be a hero, not because of her new quirks but because of her spirit. He changed for her, opened his heart to her and put aside his pride for her, and all Izuka could do was love him. She wanted to change for him too, but no change would make him happy; he declared he loved Izuka Midoriya as she was; brave yet timid, powerful yet kind, and accepting of him, flaws and all. So Izuka loved him, pouring every drop of affection she had onto him. She shyly held his hand as they walked beside each other, hugged him after his losses and kissed him after his victories. The two ran forward towards their shared dream, competing with yet loving each other. Kacchan even taught her how to love and appreciate herself! When he kissed her at her parents' wedding and declared he truly did want to marry her one day, Izuka had been so happy her chest felt like bursting. Kacchan was a Hero to her, a man of valour and power to be respected, so if someone like him loved her, she must be quite something herself!

Izuka had been blessed. She thought on this as she idly listened to her parents' chatter. She thought on it as she slowly approached the arena. She thought on it as she stood across from the person she loved most and prepared to fight. No matter what happened; no matter who won this fight, Izuka would be happy… but she still wanted to win, so she'd face Katsuki with all her might and show him he was right to choose a timid person like her to love!

The two teens approached each other for the traditional handshake, but instead of that, they embraced and tenderly kissed one another, shocking the audience and making most of them coo at them. Midnight squealed and Present Mic did the same (at much higher volume)

"AWW THAT'S ADORABLE! ERASER, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT THE GREEN BEAN AND ANGRY BOI WERE DATING!?"

Eraserhead groaned over the microphone; "Mic, you just broadcast that over the speakers… and it's not my job to tell you which of my students are dating." he scolded.

"NO FAIR! ANYWAY, BACK TO THE FINALS! IT SEEMS OUR STAR-CROSSED LOVERS HAVE CLAWED THEIR WAY TO THE TOP TO FACE EACH OTHER IN BATTLE! WE HAVE THE ANGEL OF FIRE, THE ADORABLE GREEN BEAN, THE CINNAMON BUN OF CLASS 1-A: IZUKA MIDORIYA!"

Izuka blushed, "Mic… he went and told everyone my nicknames. I'm going to get called that by everyone now..." she half-heartedly whined.

"AND HER OPPONENT; THE DETONATOR, THE ANGRY BOI WITH A SHORT FUSE, THE EXPLOSIVE KING OF CLASS 1-A: KATSUKI BAKUGOU!"

Katsuki growled; "Remind me to detonate that bastard's balls."

The crowd was roaring with excitement, with all of Class 1-A screaming and shouting their support. Ochako, Shoto, Momo and the girls were all firmly in Izuka's camp, while Kaminari, Sero, Tokoyami and some of the boys were cheering for Katsuki. Kirishima was torn between who to cheer for, so just yelled and cheered incomprehensibly in a supreme display of manliness. Most of the other students, especially Class 1-B and Class 1-C were cheering for Izuka, since Katsuki had a bad reputation, but the rest of the audience was fairly evenly split. It was quite the ego boost to hear so many people screaming their names.

"Hey Kacchan, want to make another bet?" Izuka smiled.

"Sure, but what should we bet?" Katsuki asked.

Izuka grinned; "The winner gets to pick the loser's first hero name."

Katsuki smirked; "Oh fuck yes. Be prepared, Izuchan; when I win, you'll be spending the rest of your life as Queen Inferno Murder!"

Izuka blanched… was that really what Katsuki would name her!? If they ever had children, she was going to name them before Kacchan got a chance. The two shook hands and kissed once more to seal the agreement, then seperated and moved to their own sides of the arena. This was it; the first time the two would truly battle for the rank of Number One! It may only be for the Sports Festival and not the Hero Rankings, but it would be their first step and cement them as the Number One of their generation.

"You ready, Izuchan?" Katsuki smirked.

"I am. I'm going to win this Kacchan." Izuka grinned.

Secretly, both shared the same thought; _"I'll show you my power; I'll show the world you were right to believe in me and love me!"_

Midnight raised her hand; "Final Match: Izuka Midoriya VS Katsuki Bakugou! Match… START!"

Katsuki immediately blasted himself forward, a look of pure determination etched into his features as he rapidly shot towards Izuka. He raised his right to attack, but Izuka was unafraid. She knew he always started with a right swing and had exploited that before; Katsuki would never be so foolish; the right was a feign! As Izuka readied herself to block the true attack, Katsuki suddenly finished his right swing with a massive explosion that Izuka only barely flew to avoid.

"You always read too much into things!" Katsuki grinned maniacally. In truth, Katsuki's attacks were much stronger than usual because he had changed the focus; his explosions were usually minimal on concussive force and instead maximised heat and fire, but since Izuka was immune to fire, he'd adjusted his attacks so they appeared less flashy but could do more damage. This was something he'd never normally use, since it was dangerous, but he wouldn't hold back; Izuka would face everything he had! Izuka landed again, wanting to face Kacchan head on but was forced to dodge roll to the side to evade a leaping explosion. The moment she landed back on her feet Katsuki charged her again, not giving her a moment to relax as he swung his left arm in a wide arc. Izuka reached up to grab the arm, but Katsuki kicked upward, hitting her chin hard with his foot and knocking her backward. As she fell, he put his hands together for a big explosion only for Izuka to catch herself from the fall, turning it into a backflip and a kick to Katsuki's arms with One for All. Because the kick landed at the same time as Katsuki used an explosion, it knocked the boy off balance and caused his own explosion to knock him on his back. He quickly launched himself back to his feet and charged at Izuka, whose body now crackled with the power of One for All. Just as Katsuki got close, she jumped and kicked him in the head, causing his face to snap hard to the side.

Kacchan grinned and wiped away the blood that spilled from his lip. "Good hit. Try this on for size!" he said, blasting himself into the air. Izuka summoned her wings and wrapped them around herself as a shield as Katsuki then used another explosion to slam himself down on top of her, hitting her with a strong concussive blast. Her wings, despite having some physicality were still mostly just fire, so the burst of force dispersed them and caused Izuka to be smashed into the ground with a cry of pain. Katsuki grimaced but refused to be swayed by his emotions. He attacked again, not allowing Izuka any time to think and plan, or implement what plans she already had. Katsuki used an explosion to make himself spin vertically, then kept using small explosions to turn himself into a buzz-saw of flames and explosions that sped towards Izuka. With a growl, Izuka pushed One for All to 30% and put her arms in front of her to block the blow, but right before Katsuki hit her, he suddenly performed a chain of explosions, launching him into the air above her, them into the ground behind her. Izuka spun to defend herself, but Katsuki's fist was already burying itself in her side with such force, Izuka almost vomited. She felt the foul acidic taste creep up the back of her throat as she was launched to the side, but she wasn't about to give up! Katsuki charged to ensure she was knocked out of the ring, but at the last minute, Izuka re-summoned her wings and flapped them with such force, the wind they produced knocked Katsuki off balance.

Katsuki stumbled and that was all Izuka needed for her counter attack. Flying at Katsuki, Izuka folded her wings into an X shape and opened them forcefully right in front of the boy, burning a vicious X into his torso and making him scream. Izuka then spun on her heel, slashing the boy with her wings as she spun to his back and gathered her wings' flames into her palm and slapped it against Katsuki's back: "Holy Palm!". The boy screamed as the sheer heat of her attack blasted through his heat resistance, but he managed to shoot himself away from the edge with an explosion at the last moment, keeping him in the fight.

Both fighters were panting as they took a moment to take stock of their injuries. Katsuki had burns on his chest, arms and back, as well as two kicks to the head. Izuka had several cracked bones from the concussive force of Katsuki's explosions, but she was so used to the pain from pushing One for All that she ignored it. Neither was going to stop any time soon and in an instant, both charged at one another.

Foregoing their quirks, the two began to exchange blows with just their martial arts, each determined to show the other everything they have. Izuka took a hard punch to the cheek and spat out a tooth, and Katsuki found his nose broken by a forceful kick to his face. The audience watched in awe, their cheering reduced to background noise for the two fighters. These two fighters were lovers and had started the fight with a heartfelt embrace, but here they were beating the crap out of each other, determined not to lose… determined not to disappoint one another.

Their exchange ended when a strong punch to the gut sent Izuka skidding away, allowing her the space to summon her wings again. Spreading them to full size, she cried: "Phoenix Feather Storm!" and launched a massive flurry of fire feathers at Katsuki with the speed of a machine gun. Katsuki flipped backwards and put his palm out.

"Nitro Blaster!" he roared, using his semi-automatic explosion attacks to disperse large numbers of feathers. Both attacks were so immeasurable and scatter shot that several feathers and beads of explosive sweat got through to their opponents, causing both to be blasted.

"N-Not yet!" Izuka panted, shaking off the pain from the blasts; "I'm not done!" she declared, flying at Katsuki with blinding speed. Just as she was about to collide with him, her head in his gut, Katsuki put his hands together and created the ball of light from his fight with Tokoyami.

"Stun Grenade!"

The brilliant flash of light engulfed Izuka's vision and seared itself into her eyes, making her shriek from surprise and pain. Her face had been so close, she wouldn't be surprised if she suffered serious vision loss from that move. She'd need to spend a lot of time to heal from that, not to mention the lost tooth from before. Now blinded, Katsuki was able to sidestep Izuka and she crashed into the ground, writhing and grabbing her face. Before she could recover, Katsuki grabbed her and threw her into the sky with an explosion, then aimed both his palms at her. "Plus Ultra Mode!" he said, feeling the drain on his stamina already. Katsuki extracted all the sweat in his palms and manipulated it into a single ball that he threw at Izuka, detonating it just as it hit her. "ATOMIC GRENADE!"

Izuka screamed as the attack hit her, the sheer force shattering a couple of her ribs and making her hit the ground since it had been angled above her, so the full force of the attack slammed down into her. With all the willpower Izuka could muster, she was able to land relatively safely, feeling her ankles crack as she hit the ground harder than intended. She was hitting her limit now; her stamina wasn't as high as Katsuki's and because the boy was adjusting his explosions to be more about force than fire, she could barely siphon off enough heat from them to reduce the damage. Not only that, but as it was evening now, the sun was setting and there was little light and heat left for her to absorb. She really was on her last legs… she needed to end this with a flashy move!

Activating her Phoenix Shroud, Izuka flew into the air and began conjuring up all the heat she could, lowering her own body temperature to dangerous levels as she turned the flames blue. Gathering all that fire into her fist, she allowed it to sink below the surface of her skin where it joined with One for All, which she pumped up to 50%. This attack would break her arm with her current energy level, and if it failed, she'd be done for, but it was all or nothing! She angled herself to slam into the centre of the ring then focused the flames of her wings into her fist too. She fell to earth, her right fist glowing and sparkling like it was made of stars as she pulled her fist back. She couldn't hit Katsuki directly, the force would kill him, but if she hit the ring, she'd blast him out for sure!

"CELESTIAL GRAND SMASH!" she cried and smashed her fist into the dead centre of the ring. A piercing white light erupted from the point of impact, engulfing the ring and sending a shock wave of pure energy outward. Everyone in the arena was slammed back in their seats. The Glass of the VIP Boxes (which was bullet proof) cracked and nearly shattered. Everyone standing was knocked on their backsides and the smoke and dust cloud from the impact could be seen from miles away. Midnight and Cementoss had been knocked into the arena walls with such force, they left indents, but as the smoke cleared, Izuka couldn't see one for Katsuki.

"Nice try." a voice said. Izuka paled as she turned and found Katsuki standing there, panting and with reddened skin, but very much unharmed and still in the ring. He was stood in a crater that was slightly deeper than the one Izuka had made.

"N-No way!? How!?" Izuka yelled.

Katsuki smirked, though even that seemed to take effort. "I gathered about half of my remaining sweat and used a tiny Atomic Flash. The shock-wave was enough to offset yours, though the damn heat of your attack blew mine out of the water. I'm burned to a fucking crisp… but on the bright side, I still have some sweat to use, and you're fresh out of power."

Izuka groaned in pain; her arm was broken and she barely had the energy to stand. "I'm...not...done!"

The Explosive boy smiled, an earnest and kind smile, "Yes, you are. Sorry Izuchan, this is it." he said, suddenly running at her. With an explosive kick to the chin, he launched her into the air, then launched himself and grabbed her, seemingly hugging her in mid air. He then shot them back down head first, making them collide with the ground with a massive explosion. Izuka cried in pain and flopped to the ground while Katsuki groaned and stood back up. "T-That was Megaton Grand Hammer. Don't get up Izuchan. It's done." he panted.

Midnight, who had peeled herself out of the wall and returned to the Referee post looked at Izuka with a sad sigh. "Izuka Midoriya is-"

"D-Don't!" Izuka whimpered. She was on the ground, trying desperately to stand, but every time she tried, she crumpled to the ground with a whimper. "I'm not done!"

"Izuka, you've done enough! You can't keep fighting!" Katsuki yelled.

The light within Izuka's soul flickered to life, stronger than before. Izuka whined, but pushed herself to her feet. Midnight watched closely, ready to call the match the moment it became clear that Izuka really couldn't continue. She really should have called it already, but the girl was so tenacious and tried so hard, she didn't have the heart to stop her.

" _I need to show the world I'm here..."_ Izuka thought.

The light grew.

" _I need to finish things with Endeavor"_

The light grew.

" _I need to win for Ochako, who is rooting for me!"_

The light grew.

" _I need to win for Momo, Tenya and Hitoshi, who were beaten by me!"_

The light grew.

" _I need to make Mom and Papa proud!"_

The light grew.

" _I need to prove myself to Kacchan!"_

The light grew.

" _I need to win!"_

The light grew.

" _I WANT TO WIN!"_

The Light Burst Forth.

Izuka felt the massive rush of light fill her body, bursting from her soul and filling every cell of her body. Her pain and fatigue was forgotten, though it remained just below the surface of her consciousness. Her flames were rekindled, but focused, folding in on themselves until they felt impossibly tight, then folded in some more. To the shock of everyone, Izuka stood up, her eyes shining more brilliantly than anyone could ever imagine, bewitching Katsuki as he stared into them.

Izuka smiled; "I will win!" she declared, as her flame wings returned, though not in their previous form. Now, her wings were made of pure white flame and had split into six, smaller wings. Izuka felt this new power as a voice echoed through her head.

" _I have built this power. Use it well."_

" _What the? Who is this? Did someone link with me?"_ she thought back.

" _No, I have been with you for half a decade, and was with eight others before you. I am One for All. Now go forth, Hero, and achieve victory. I give this to you; your Plus Ultra."_

Izuka, without even thinking about it, pointed her palm at Katsuki, who was already preparing to guard a fire attack. But it wasn't fire that came forth; the centre of her palm seemed to turn to crystal, and from it, a beam of light shot forth. It glistened as brilliantly as Aoyama's laser, though was golden rather than blue. Katsuki wasn't prepared to face that and was struck hard, right in the centre of the x shaped burn from earlier. The beam cut into him, but only by an inch and when the beam ended, Katsuki fell to his knees.

"D-Damn! Didn't expect that… how long have you had that trick?" Katsuki coughed.

Izuka smiled, but it was strained; "This is new… I don't think I can keep this up for much longer..." she admitted, the pain from before beginning to intensify and her stamina was scrapping the bottom of the barrel. Any minute now, she'd collapse. "This will be the final move, Kacchan… whoever wins this, wins the match!" she declared, putting her hands together and preparing to fire single massive beam of light.

Katsuki got to his feet and grinned maniacally. This was what he loved about Izuka… she never gave up, never stopped and never accepted less than the best from herself. She would give him her everything, and he would do the same. "Alright! Let's do it!" he yelled, putting his own hands together and gathering every single last drop of sweat still within his body and focusing it there. This was his final trump card; a move he'd never normally use on a person and was reserved for taking down any more Noumu he encountered, but for Izuka… his Izuka deserved the best.

Izuka's palms turned to crystal and a huge beam of golden light shot forward to strike Katsuki. In return, Katsuki released the most powerful explosion he still had in him, shaping it carefully to blast forward and not outward so as to meet Izuka and her attack head on.

"DIVINE RAY!"

"ATOMIC NOVA!"

The two attacks collided and after that, none of the observers were entirely sure what happened. The light and noise from the collision blinded and deafened everyone in the arena for a few seconds. The heat of the attacks made it feel like it was the middle of Summer and it was so bright, it temporarily looked like noon as opposed to late evening. The two attacks struggled against each other as their users pulled out the dregs of their power, until finally, the power of the Divine Ray overcame Atomic Nova and Katsuki was bathed in the beam's light. It hurt, but was not as painful as before; it was like his whole body suddenly ached and stung, like he'd gotten a bad sunburn. When the light finally subsided and everyone could see, Katsuki was on all fours, breathing hard while Izuka floated down to the ground, equally drained.

"I-Izuka… damn… you did amazing… you… win..." he groaned, before passing out.

Midnight stared down at the boy, then looked wide eyed at Izuka, who had lost her wings and was back to normal. Whatever light had been there, it was gone now and she was only standing on sheer willpower. She shook her head; "Katsuki Bakugou is unable to continue! The winner and champion of the First Year U.A Sports Festival is Izuka Midoriya!"

"WORDS CAN'T DESCRIBE IT! AFTER THE MOST BRUTAL BATTLE IN THE HISTORY OF THIS EVENT, MIDORIYA UNLEASHED A POWER WE'VE NEVER SEEN AND ATTAINED VICTORY! THAT'S ONE HELL OF A TRUMP CARD! MIDORIYA, DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS FOR YOUR NEW FANS!" Present Mic asked as Midnight handed her microphone to Izuka.

Izuka gently took it and raised it to her lips, while her other hand pointed to the sky; "It's okay now… because I AM HERE!" she declared.

The crowd exploded into cheers and Izuka handed the mic back. In the stands, Class 1-A was celebrating with party poppers, streamers and even tiny fireworks that Momo created, as well as using their quirks to put on a little celebratory display. Inko was crying her eyes out and screaming to whoever would listen that the hero in the ring was her little girl. Toshinori looked proud beyond measure, like he was about to charge the ring just to hoist her on to his shoulders.

The last of her energy drained, Izuka finally passed out. The Exhibition Match and Award Ceremony would be put on hold until she recovered enough to stand as she and Katsuki were taken to the infirmary. Nezu and Recovery Girl frowned at one another as they looked at Izuka, and moments later, Toshinori and Aizawa met them in the infirmary.

Recovery Girl sighed; "It happened much sooner than I expected… The light she used in the arena today is proof though. Our worries have come about and we failed to warn her first."

Nezu shook his head; "None of our information showed it would happen this fast."

"This is going to be troublesome. Class 1-A is going to be behind her, so she'll have their support, but how will Izuka take this?" Aizawa sighed, looking to All-Might.

"She has just won the Sports Festival and achieved the first goal of her dream! I can't spoil that for her!" Toshi argued.

"We have too." Recovery Girl said reluctantly, "We underestimated the power of Izuka's natural Evolution. Quirks always grow stronger with time… I just didn't think Link Evolution would react with One for All in such a way. Izuka will be pleased she can still be a hero… but how pleased will she be when we tell her she is no longer technically human?"


	23. Humanity and Heroism

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

Chapter 23: Humanity and Heroism

Izuka was only asleep for an hour in the end. She had been placed next to a collection of space heaters and the heat from them had restored her stamina and allowed herself to automatically heal herself in her sleep, freaking out her watchers as she frequently ignited with pink flame in her sleep. Recovery Girl had to hook her up to a blood bag to ensure she wouldn't become anaemic from her unconscious healing. Katsuki had been healed by Recovery Girl, though he'd need to wait to recover some more before he could be fully healed thanks to his low stamina. Unless Izuka healed him herself, the cut from the laser attack would leave a scar, and to be honest, when Katsuki woke up and was told this, he began planning how to convince Izuka NOT to heal it. The scar was shaped like a small four pointed star and Katsuki thought it looked badass.

When Izuka finally came too, she awoke to a room filled with people. Her parents, Katsuki, Recovery Girl, Principal Nezu and Aizawa-Sensei were all present and immediately surrounded her as she awoke. She was groggy and confused, feeling a strange itch at the core of her bones. It felt like the light from earlier had turned to spider webs and clung to her insides, leaving the feeling of phantom bugs crawling around her. "Ugh… what happened?"

"You passed out, Stupid Deku." Katsuki rolled hie eyes, "You pulled out a damn strong move and beat my ass, then passed out."

Izuka nodded, then noticed the bandages on Katsuki's torso. "Kacchan! Oh no, you're hurt! Come here, I'll heal you." she yelled, getting up with a wince.

"Not a chance, Deku! I don't need any healing. I'm a big boy, I can handle a few weak ass burns." Katsuki growled, forcibly pushing Izuka back into her bed.

"Kacchan! Hey, I don't need to be in bed, I feel fine! Just kind of achy and tingly." Izuka protested.

"That will pass. The sensations you feel are your nerves getting used to some of the changes in your body. It'll pass soon." Recovery Girl explained.

Izuka raised an eyebrow questioningly, but before she could ask, her parents were surrounding her, hugging her and kissing her cheeks over and over, making her giggle and playfully shove them away. "Mama, Papa! You'll get slobber on me!" she laughed.

"You did so well Baby! You won the Sports Festival! I fainted like six times during your fight with Katsuki… I was so scared you'd get really hurt or you and Katsuki would fall out over it!" Inko cried, only barely holding herself together. She was smiling so wide her cheeks were rosy red from the strain on her cheek muscles.

"Come on Auntie, we both knew what we signed up for. My rabbit and I aren't going to break up over something like this, right?" Katsuki smirked. Izuka blushed and nodded, shyly pulling Katsuki towards her so they could share a tender, chaste kiss. All-Might counted to ten in his head so he wouldn't punch Katsuki into the sun, but when he was done and the teenagers weren't, he forcefully pulled them apart with a glare at the boy, who paled a bit.

"None of that! Wait 'til I'm dead!" Toshi growled, before turning a dazzling smile to Izuka; "My darling girl, you have made me immeasurably proud today! You shone like a star through every battle and never gave up no matter what! You have declared to the entire world that you are here and ready to protect them! I could not possibly be any more proud of you. I truly do not have the words for it." he said, hugging Izuka (who was tearing up with happiness).

Aizawa smirked at her, "All-Might's not kidding about your showing, Problem Child. Requests for your work experience placement have been pouring in already and message boards across the internet are gushing over you. I don't know how long this burst of fame will last, but I think you deserve it."

"Yes, it was quite the performance! The Second and Third Years are going to have to work very hard to outdo the show you put on." Nezu smiled. Because the events were longer this year, each year group would have their event on a seperate day, prolonging the Sports Festival to a three day event.

"I congratulate you on your victory, but you can expect me to be assigning you more work now, since you seem to have forgotten that the most important lesson of healing is to not get hurt in the first place!" Recovery Girl scolded, though her small smile lessened the effectiveness of that. Izuka still had the good grace to look sheepish.

"So, when is the Exhibition Match and Award Ceremony?" Izuka asked.

"They'll begin when we give the go ahead. Every Pro Hero watching the event has steadfastly refused to leave, in case you challenge them. But first, we have something very important to talk about; namely that strange power you used to win the fight. That light was definitely not an ability of Phoenix, One for All or Link Evolution." Nezu said. His tone wasn't accusatory, but it was blatantly curious, as if the Mouse Man hoped Izuka could shed some light on the situation.

Izuka frowned and looked at her hand; "That was… I don't really know. Every since a few days ago, I've felt a strange tingling in my chest… I sort of imagined it as a light in my soul. As I fought today, I felt it getting bigger and spreading further, but when I fought Kacchan, it sort of… exploded? It filled me up completely and I gained that power. I can still feel it, but only barely." she explained as best she could. The power she used was not like her normal quirks, and yet she knew she wasn't linked with anyone, so it couldn't be possible for it to be someone else's power. It certainly looked and felt like Aoyama's laser, at least when she attacked with that light beam.

The adults looked at each other thoughtfully, while Katsuki just looked confused. Izuka shrugged at his questioning look, then suddenly remembered something. "Wait! I heard a voice!"

"What? From where?" All-Might asked, looking around urgently.

"No, not now! During the fight! A voice in my head… it said it was One for All!" Izuka exclaimed.

That certainly caught the adults attention. "What? Is that even possible? One for All is a quirk, not a person." Aizawa pointed out.

"It actually fits a theory of mine." Nezu said, "One for All passes along the stockpiled strength of each wielder to the next, but I believe it also passes along a portion of the previous owners spirit. In All for One's notes, he believed the same as he stated that a Quirk with a Spirit couldn't be stolen, just like One for All couldn't be stolen. Plus, Quirks with their own form of consciousness have been proven to exist, including your own students, Shota. Tokoyami's Dark Shadow is a prime example, and Yaoyorozu's quirk gaining consciousness through evolution has proven it can occur even after the quirk is born."

"So One for All has pieces of it's wielders inside it, so now it can talk? Fucking creepy… Izuchan, what did it say to you?" Katsuki asked as Izuka's hands twitched with the urge to write Nezu's theory down.

"It told me it had been with me for Half a Decade and was with eight others before me. When I manifested that light power, it told me that it had built it." Izuka answered.

"So One for All "built" that power? All-Might, can you do something like that?" Aizawa asked.

"No. I've never spoken with One for All. I don't know if I can." Toshi answered with a shrug. He was a bit jealous of Izuka for being able to do that.

Nezu scratched his chin for a moment, then smiled and clapped his paws; "I believe I have figured it out! One for All has had it's spirit for a while, but has only likely gained the ability to communicate due to being within Izuka. Her Link Evolution has evolved One for All to the point it can roughly communicate, much like it did to Yaoyorozu's Creation. As for the power it built, allow me to explain my theory."

The Mouse Principal hopped onto a stool beside Izuka and pulled some sheets of paper from his pockets. On them, he drew several stick figures and labelled them. "Okay, first we know Izuka has three quirks. For this theory, I think we can disregard Phoenix." he labelled one of the figures "Izuka" and wrote "Link Evolution" and "One for All" next to it. "Bakugou, what are the abilities of One for All as you understand them?" Nezu asked.

Katsuki blinked with surprise; "Something about allowing itself to be passed on through willing consumption of DNA and stockpiling strength from one wielder to the next."

"Exactly. Now Izuka, what does Link Evolution do?" Nezu smiled.

"Um, it lets me form telepathic links with other people. The link will permanently evolve their quirk, giving them a Plus Ultra Mode and may also make their bodies adapt better to their quirk. Oh! And it lets me use a really weakened version of the linked person's quirk, so long as we maintain the link." she explained.

"Excellent! Now, think of it like this; you are able to create a new link through flesh contact, but once it's done, you can recreate an old link telepathically. Why?" Nezu asked.

The group shrugged, not sure where Nezu was going with this. Nezu just grinned excitedly; "Because to create a link and allow the Evolution to take place, and to allow Izuka to use their quirk, their must be DNA to DNA contact. Izuka's rapid Evolution then adjusts both bodies to evolve the other's quirk and allow Izuka to use theirs. Once that evolution has taken place, Izuka retains the DNA changes, just as the other person does! The evolution doesn't end when the link does, so why should Izuka's ability to use their quirk!"

"But if I permanently gain their quirk, why do I need to link again to use it?" Izuka looked confused.

"Because while your body is adapted to the change, it doesn't actually retain the instincts or mental mechanics to use it. It would be like growing a limb with no nerves to move it. You need to establish a mental link to gain the knowledge, which is why you can only use the power while linked and why when you ARE linked, you gain the instinctual knowledge on how the quirk works!"

"But what does this have to do with her new power? It sounds like just a way for her Quirk to create a shortcut for the links." Inko pointed out. She was an intelligent woman, but she was struggling to keep up with this conversation.

"One for All stockpiles power… but now that it has evolved, I believe it can stockpile those instincts she gains from Linking. Then, with it's evolved consciousness, it reads Izuka's intentions and forces Izuka's own Evolution to evolve the Instincts of those quirks together to create a brand new quirk!" Nezu finished. He drew more on the paper, labelling the other two figures "Link 1" and "Link 2" then drew several lines between them.

"C-Can you explain that a bit easier? I don't think I'm getting it." Izuka confessed.

Aizawa covered Nezu's mouth before he got into another long winded explanation. "When you link with someone, One for All stockpiles a bit of that person's power. Then, then you need it, it uses your evolution to combine those pieces into new quirks."

Nezu pushed Aizawa's hand away "It's more complex than that, but that is the essentials."

Izuka frowned, looking down at her hand. She could feel that new power, but it didn't feel like a quirk, like One for All or Phoenix. It felt… like an extension. Like if she just pushed her Phoenix Quirk harder, she'd be able to reach it again. She explained this feeling, whereupon Katsuki smirked; "So you don't make new quirks, but new Plus Ultra Modes. You didn't have one for yourself, so One for All built one with the fragments of linked quirks. That's pretty fucking cool. Hey, can you make one using the fragment of my quirk?"

Izuka shook her head; "I don't think I can control it. No matter how hard I try, I can't get One for All to talk again, and aside from me using it like normal, nothing happens if I try to use One for All as a quirk."

"Well Nezu did say that One for All probably responds to your intentions. Knowing you as I do..." Toshi smiled teasingly, "It probably created that specific Plus Ultra Mode to suit your desires; you wanted to win and show everyone you were a great hero for them. You wanted to be an angel, so it created that power. I assume Young Aoyama was one of the quirk fragments used, but do you know the others? Or if there even were others?"

Izuka closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of her Plus Ultra Mode. She decided to name it Seraphic Light, an extension of her Phoenix Quirk. As she focused on it, she activated it and felt the frankly horrendous stamina drain… even at full strength, Izuka felt like she could only maintain it for about 30 seconds without pushing her body to the point of injury. As she focused, she felt a presence within the power, two presences in fact. The first was like a shining star, dazzling and bright but oddly frail, as if it hid a weakness or self doubt. This presence felt like Aoyama. The other presence was like a rubix cube that constantly changed shape and colour, taking on impossible configurations, but at it's core, she sensed a vulnerability and a deep desire to give back to others. This presence felt like Momo.

Releasing the power with a gasp, Izuka relaxed back into her bed; "Aoyama and Momo… those were the people whose quirks created Seraphic Light."

"Hmm, so it combines Aoyama's ability to create lasers with Yaoyorozu's power. The light attribute is obvious in origin, but what does Yaoyorozu contribute?" Aizawa asked.

Izuka shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe I can shape the light into things? I can barely maintain that power for more than half a minute before it starts to hurt."

"We'll need to test that later. For now, I'm forbidding you from using your Plus Ultra Mode unless it is an emergency. The power is much greater than your classmates, but the cost also seems to be a lot higher as well." the teacher instructed her. Katsuki looked a bit peeved that he wouldn't be able to fight against Seraphic Light again, but Izuka was more than happy to obey.

With the conversation moving away from her quirks, Inko and Recovery Girl exchanged a resigned look, which worried Izuka. This worry grew as Inko sat beside Izuka on the bed and held her gently. "Baby, we have something else to tell you. It...it might come as a bit of a shock to you, but I promise, no one here thinks any differently of you."

"Mom, you're scaring me. What's happening?" Izuka asked fearfully.

Recovery Girl, with regret in her eyes, decided to give the news quickly, like ripping off a band-aid. "Izuka, child your Evolution has had another effect. As of our most recent tests, we have confirmed that technically and by official definition, you are no longer considered human."

Izuka froze. Her skin turning deathly pale as Katsuki looked ready to explode. "What the fuck do you mean she's not human!?" he roared.

"Recovery Girl is not to blame here, Bakugou. None of us are happy about this." Aizawa growled, "Focus less on your anger and more on comforting your girlfriend."

Katsuki, ashamed, went to sit by Izuka's other side, while Toshinori reached over and put a hand on the girl's back. Izuka looked terrified; "W-What does this mean for me? How has this happened?"

Recovery Girl sighed; "It dates back to the beginning of quirks. The genesis of quirks has resulted in a massive range of genetic diversity in humans, so rather than designate each individual mutation as a new species, Scientists created the so called: "Humanity Quirk Factor Spectrum" or HQFS. This spectrum divides humans into two subcategories; the Quirkless "Negative Type" and the Quirk "Positive Type". The Negative Type used to be bog-standard Homo Sapiens, but since it's now possible for people with Quirks to have Quirkless children, both Negative and Positive Types have a spectrum of DNA Composition. Basically, if your DNA is anywhere on the rather large spectrum of the HQFS, you are considered human, no matter how you look. Due to your Phoenix Resurrection and Evolution, your DNA has become the genetic equivalent of Play Dough. With the most recent adaption brought about by the creation of your own Plus Ultra Mode, your DNA has officially passed outside the HQFS."

"S-So that's it? I evolved a bit too far and now I'm not human!?" Izuka yelled, getting hysterical.

"Be calm, my child." Inko kissed her forehead. "This is only for scientific classification. Technically, you are not considered a human because you don't fit in the HQFS, but legally speaking, you are still a person with full rights."

Nezu nodded; "Indeed. This possibility was foreseen when the HQFS was first established. Legally, while a person whose DNA falls outside the HQFS may not be human, they are entitled to full human rights so long as they display at least human level intelligence, which you certainly do. You are now classified as a Non-Human Person and are actually one of thirteen hundred thousand such people. Aside from a note on your medical records, this will have no real effect on you. It's just a somewhat scary thing to think about and has been known to have adverse psychological effects on people."

"S-So even though I'm not human, I'm still a person? I still have all the same rights?" Izuka asked, now becoming a bit more hopeful.

"Yes. You can still be a hero, still go to school and even still get married." Toshinori winked.

Izuka smiled a bit, then suddenly looked at Katsuki with a blush. "Um, Recovery Girl… because I'm not human now… can I still have children with humans?"

Katsuki turned red and tried to look aloof to the idea of having kids with Izuka as Recovery Girl smirked at him; "I believe so, yes. While your DNA has changed, the Egg Cells inside you haven't been altered, meaning they are the same as they were when you were born. If you were a boy, it might be a problem, but as a girl, I believe you will be able to have children just fine, they just won't possess any of your evolved characteristics."

"Oh thank goodness… next to being Number One Hero, having a family is my dream for the future." Izuka smiled. She was still a bit perturbed about her not being human any more, and wondered how her friends would take it. She was determined not to keep any more secrets from her classmates. Nervously, she looked towards Katsuki; "K-Kacchan? Does it bother you that I'm not human?"

Katsuki hummed and looked at her closely. He poked her nose, gently pinched her cheeks, ruffled her hair, wiggled her ears and looked into her eyes, before kissing her sweetly. "Hmm, you still seem like the same Izuka to me. Besides, you were never human; you were a dopey little rabbit." he smirked teasingly, getting a playful swat to the head and a loving kiss in return. Izuka looked around at the occupants of the room; her mom and dad were still looking at her just as proudly and just as lovingly, Recovery Girl was still exasperated with her, Aizawa-Sensei was still tired of her shenanigans, Nezu was happy to have another Non-Human around and Katsuki still loved her with all his heart. Everything was fine… Izuka could live with this.

Once Izuka had the strength to move unaided, she was given an undamaged gym suit to wear and the group left for the Award Ceremony, which would take place before the Exhibition match.

The night sky was awash with fireworks and the crowd cheered wildly as Izuka, Katsuki and Shoto came down to the arena floor. They stepped on several marked spaces and Cementoss lifted them up on pillars marked by their rank. Izuka was Number One and highest, on her right as Number Two, Katsuki and on her left was Number Three, Shoto. All the First Years were assembled in front of the podiums, cheering. Midnight happily skipped over to begin the ceremony; "Now, let's begin the Award Ceremony!" she announced, earning more cheers.

"In third place, we have Shoto Todoroki! And here to present the medals is the man himself; the myth, the legend, the Symbol of Peace; ALL-MIGHT!"

From the top of the Arena, All-Might in full costume leapt down to the arena floor "I AM HERE!" he announced, landing dramatically in front of the Podiums.

The audience went nuts; "Whoa, the First Years are so great that All-Might himself was watching!"

"Yeah, these kids are something else!"

"Did you here the winner's proclamation? She copied All-Might's catchphrase!"

"I hear she's a mega fan of his!"

"No way, she's his apprentice! She must be!"

"She did save his life after that big villain fight five years back."

All-Might ignored the chattering and approached Shoto, draping a bronze medal over his shoulders. "Congratulations, Young Todoroki! You're a strong one! We at U.A are proud that you embraced your fire side and learnt to use it. With that power, you will help many people and become a great hero."

"Thank you." Shoto nodded, "I am the same as Izuka and Bakugou; we're all aiming to take your spot at the top. Please continue to watch over me."

"Good boy. I look forward to it!" All-Might smiled, moving on to second place.

Midnight grinned; "In Second Place, we have Katsuki Bakugou!"

All-Might proudly handed the Silver Medal to Katsuki, a bit nervous how he would react. To his credit, Katsuki just nodded his thanks; "I stumbled on the first step to the top, but I'll get up again. Watch your back, All-Might; Izuka isn't the only one chasing you."

"Haha, Good! Come at me with full force, Young Bakugou." he grinned.

"Finally, in First Place, we have IZUKA MIDORIYA!"

All-Might stepped forward, standing on the first place podium with his daughter. Their eyes were locked, each having said exactly what they needed to already, all that was left was the affection and pride in one another's eyes. As All-Might placed that gold medal around her neck, Izuka felt it's weight; the weight of the world. That was the burden of All-Might's mantle. Izuka rolled her shoulders and smiled brilliantly; she'd bear it all, after all… she looked to Katsuki and Shoto, then to her classmates… she wasn't alone.

"Now, it is time for the big Pro Hero Exhibition Match! Izuka Midoriya, as our winner, it is up to you to decide! Who do you challenge?" All Might asked, handing a microphone to the girl.

The Pro Heroes in the stands shouted and screamed, each pointing to themselves. Even several U.A teachers were cheering, with Aizawa giving her a challenging smirk and All-Might watching her closely with anticipation. Only one hero wasn't excited...wasn't hoping for the fight; and it was him she would face.

"I challenge the Flame Hero: Endeavor."

The crowd went silent. The sudden shift from noise to silence was jarring and left nothing but the sound of Endeavor's foot steps as he slowly walked down to the arena, his face like it was carved from stone. He jumped over the railing and landed on the arena floor, walking into the ring and stopping there, crossing his arms. "I accept your challenge." he said, only the hint of a growl in his tone.

Both Shoto and Katsuki looked at Izuka like she was insane and went to protest, but All-Might silenced them with a look. "My girl, Endeavor has accepted your challenge! Please step into the ring! I will act as Referee for this, so long as Midnight agrees."

The R-Rated Hero nodded, secretly relieved; she didn't want to have to tell Endeavor to back off if he went too far. Izuka smiled thankfully and went to stand opposite Endeavor, her expression becoming cold. Endeavor, to Izuka, was the first time she'd encountered a hero she couldn't support; he embodied everything that was wrong with the modern Hero System and showed nothing but disdain for others. He fought because he wanted to be the best, to prove his power to the world.

As Izuka took up her stance, a part of her tried to justify why she was doing this as heroic; she was doing it to understand Endeavor, to find the problem and maybe fix it, to make Endeavor a better man. It was the right thing to do; to change his mind by using the only thing he understood; power and force.

But a deeper, primal side of her whispered another desire; to punish him. Izuka wanted Endeavor to hurt, to be ashamed, to be BROKEN. It was a dark feeling and one Izuka hated, but one she couldn't deny.

"I'm ready." Izuka said softly. She wasn't, but she had to be.

"As am I." Endeavor replied. He truly was ready, but he'd soon change his mind. _"I'll end this in one blow."_ he thought.

All-Might nodded; "Very well! Then let the Exhibition Match begin!"

Endeavor, pouring all his rage from earlier into his flames, shot a torrent of fire at the girl, just enough to cause some real pain as it knocked her from the ring. Izuka didn't move… she didn't even flinch as the flames engulfed her, then began being sucked in. Endeavor gasped and had to cut off his attack as he began feeling Izuka sucking his flames into her. When the last of the attack was absorbed, Izuka was stood there, steaming lightly, but unharmed. In fact, she looked healthier than she'd started! Izuka smirked at Endeavor's astonished face; "I am immune to fire and can absorb it to restore my stamina. Plus, there's no limit. I could bathe in a volcano if I wanted." she told him.

Endeavor paled; he knew her power involved fire, but he just assumed she had strong resistance, which his naturally overwhelming power would run over. But no, this wasn't resistance; it was immunity. The Pro thought back to the immense heat she'd used while shaking his hand; it had burned him then, and he hadn't been strong enough to pull free. Immunity to fire, strength that exceeded his and the power to use fire to hurt him, the Flame Hero? Enji Todoroki knew at that moment…

He'd fucked up.

Izuka felt a spike of vindictive pleasure as she recognised that the situation had just dawned on the man. Endeavor had no way of winning; he might as well be quirkless against her, and with her strength, it wasn't even the case of a well-muscled man versus a teenage girl; he was facing a mini All-Might! Izuka savoured the feeling then attacked, using her fire to boost her but only using One for All to actually attack. She punched the man hard across the jaw, then ducked under his wild swing. Endeavor recoiled and began using his fire as a booster in the same way Izuka did, pushing him to almost the same level of offensive power.

The next time Izuka hit him, it was lighter and Endeavor barely felt it, puzzling him. She'd also shot some weak fireballs at him, but they weren't even close to being enough to surpass his fire resistance. It must be a trick of some sort, Endeavor thought, to catch him off guard and cause him to make mistakes. He kept his own blows coming, just as hard as before, though after a few dodges and glancing blows, the Pro was forced to begin using slightly weaker attacks or he'd wear himself out. He felt satisfied as he finally landed a punch to the girl, though he could feel it hadn't done much damage.

"Why did you become a hero?" Izuka asked as she kicked at him.

"You're asking me that now!?" Endeavor yelled, grabbing her leg and throwing her out of the ring. Izuka corrected herself with her wings and flew back, this time attacking with a cross chop.

"Of course. Someone like you… why would you want to be a Hero? You clearly don't care about anyone else." Izuka said matter of factly, suppressing a groan as her arms slammed into Endeavor's rock hard chest.

Endeavor growled and punched her in the face, though she barely flinched, instead fixing him with those infuriatingly questioning eyes. "Who cares why I became a Hero? All you care about is helping others, right? So why bother asking, you brat?!" he yelled.

Izuka back flipped away, kicking him in the chin as she did so; "That's fair. Some people become heroes for fame or money. I don't really care, since like you said, they're helping people. But then, why do you hurt your son?"

The Pro roared and charged at her with his elbow, cracking the ground as she dodged the blow and kicked him into the arena floor. "Don't mention my son! I created him for a reason; I needed to prepare him for that!"

"To become Number One you mean? Power alone isn't enough you know." Izuka said, like she was talking to a slow witted child. "No matter how strong you became, no matter how strong Shoto became, if he acted like you, he'd never reach the top." Izuka, applying a lot more force than was really needed, punched Endeavor hard in the face, making his head bounce off the concrete floor.

The Crowd was roaring and cheering, but as Endeavor stood up, he realised… none of it was for him. Every person cheering was cheering for Izuka. Was it just to be supportive? Supporting the girl up against seemingly impossible odds? Or was it… that they were cheering for him to lose? Each blow he took, he saw the crowd grow more excited, even his own son. Conversely, each time he managed to hit Izuka, people would grow upset and boo him, only cheering again when the girl inevitably got back up and flashed a smile.

" _That damn smile… All-Might's smile!"_ Endeavor thought.

"A person that the people can't trust, that people don't feel hope at seeing can't become the Number One!" Izuka yelled, punching Endeavor in the gut. "A person who creates children as weapons can't even be considered a hero!" she continued, this time upper-cutting him. "And on top of it all, a Person who gives up and shoves his ambitions on someone else has no right to stand on the same stage as All-Might!" she finished her tirade with her Holy Palm Technique, burning the shape of her hand into his chest.

Endeavor groaned in pain and backed off, making some distance between himself and the girl. He was furious; how dare this girl lecture him! He was the damn Number Two!

 _But not Number One; the people hate and fear him. He had scorned his own fans long ago._

His children were his business, he made them so it was his right to use them as he saw fit.

 _They all left him at the first chance. Shoto despises him. Rei… his wife… he'd loved her once. When he still understood what that meant._

He had clawed his way to the Number Two Hero Position at only 20 years old! It wasn't his fault that All-Might was an impossible goal for him; his quirk wasn't enough to surpass the insurmountable!

 _But had he really tried? He failed for a while then gave up and ran away, seeking others to fulfil his dreams, living vicariously through his son like a parasite. He'd even tried to push Shoto to be like him… but what if it wasn't his quirk that had failed him? What if it was something about the man he was, and not the power he wielded._

Endeavor frowned, his pride and conscious warring with each other. He didn't want to be the Number One like All-Might, just some people pleaser that smiled all the time. He wanted to be stronger than that! But… had he been wrong?

Izuka smiled at him, though this time, it was earnest and kind, not vindictive or mocking. She saw the flicker of doubt in his eyes and knew it was time. Nothing else she said or did now would change Endeavor; he'd have to do the rest himself. She'd unlocked the door, but it was up to him to open it. For now, it was time to end the fight. Summoning her fire wings, Izuka flew at Endeavor and threw a punch. Endeavor answered with a punch of his own and their fists collided, flames bursting out in all directions. The two pushed against each other, and to his shame, Endeavor found himself being pushed back. This was it… he was going to lose. But then, just as his strength reached it's limit, Izuka smiled again and all the power she was putting into her attack vanished. Endeavor's fist easily overpowered hers and carried on, hitting Izuka in the gut and sending her backwards, out of the ring. The whole time, as she flew out of the ring, Izuka maintained her smile, her eyes never leaving Endeavor's for a moment, even as she collided with the wall and slid down it, defeated.

"Izuka Midoriya is out of bounds! Endeavor wins the Exhibition Match!" All-Might announced, only getting some half-hearted courtesy cheers in response. Endeavor stood there, stunned as his son and the Explosive Boy helped Izuka get to her feet. He looked around… the U.A teachers knew… the top heroes in the crowd knew… All-Might knew… Shoto knew…

Izuka had thrown the fight. There was no way for him to win, so she'd let him. A final, meaningless victory. It stripped him of his pride and left him empty inside. He couldn't even muster the will to be angry, watching as All-Might spoke to the girl. The Flame Hero walked up to her and in a monotone voice, he asked her; "Why did you do that?"

Izuka smiled half-heartedly. "Two reasons. First, I knew it would punish you better than simply beating you. I had to get some payback for you hurting my friend. Second… if I won, it would mean only bad things."

"Why? Why would winning be bad?" he demanded.

"Because people would lose hope. Come on, would you want to rely on a hero that could be beaten by a first year student? Plus, as the Number Two, if I beat you, everyone would suddenly think "Wow, a first year was able to beat the Number Two, we can't rely on him, but then again, since he is Number Two, aren't the other heroes weaker than him? Can we rely on them either?" People would begin doubting Heroes and once that starts, it never stops. All other heroes would be stained by your loss and Villains would be emboldened, thinking Heroes weren't so great after all. I simply decided that it was better to lose than to win and cause chaos. Becoming Number One, to me, means everyone in the world is looking at you, so I have to be better than that. I have to be seen as someone that never makes mistakes and only shows a smile to the people, so they feel safe. If I can't do that, then I don't deserve to be Number One." Izuka explained.

Endeavor looked completely bewildered; losing having a lower cost than winning… sacrificing pride for the sake of doing the right thing. The whole concept was foreign to him. "Interesting." he said, somewhat distractedly. "I will think on that. But if we ever fight again, you WILL give me all you've got. Shoto, come home whenever you wish. The two of us have something to talk about." he said, then stalked off.

All-Might gave Izuka a subtle thumbs up, then began the closing ceremony for the First Year Event. "Well Everyone, you have seen the winners and a fine battle with a Pro Hero, but remember this; Everyone here today has the potential to be standing in the place of the winners, the potential even to replace myself as the Number One! Competition! Encouragement! Pushing each other to climb higher, run faster and grow stronger! These seeds of heroism, only just sprouting, will soon grow and cover the world in a new generation of Heroes! In recognition of their spirit, let's give them one final cheer! Everyone say it with me! One, two and..."

"PLUS ULTRA!"

Izuka sighed; it had been a very long and chaotic day, but in the end, she thought it all went well. She won the Sports Festival, declared to the world that she was here to protect them, earned a new power, evolved to something just beyond human and faced Endeavor, potentially opening his mind to change. She smiled and hugged All-Might; a successful day!

And so, the U.A Sports Festival came to an end for Class 1-A.


	24. The Family of Heroes

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 24: The Family of Heroes**

After the Closing Ceremony for the First Year section of the Sports Festival, Class 1-A tiredly walked to their classroom for a word with Aizawa-Sensei before they left. It was late and they were all exhausted, especially Izuka who was practically asleep on her feet, though with extreme willpower, she managed to stay alert.

Aizawa gave his class a rare smile as he addressed them; "You all did well. You made me proud." he said, making the whole class beam at him. He turned to Mineta; "Mineta, this was your last day with us, you'll be transferred to Class 1-C of the General Education Course, as we agreed after the USJ incident. Your change in attitude has been good, and you worked hard today. I hope you return to our class next year."

Mineta nodded, not saying a word as he feared his voice would crack and he'd begin sobbing. The Class gave the boy some encouraging words and fond farewells, with Izuka even hugging the boy and wishing him well. Mineta, despite his urges, took the hug in the spirit it was intended and left the classroom with a smile, having earned a bit of real respect from his classmates. "I'll be back once I've become a really strong and cool guy!" he said, giving the class a thumbs up as he left. Once Mineta was gone, Aizawa turned back to the class.

"Alright, so it's no big secret, but we'll be getting a transfer student to replace Mineta. It hasn't been confirmed who yet, but it'll happen. As the Staff are needed for the Second and Third Year portions of the Festival, for the next two days, you have no classes, so it's up to you what you do. The day after the festival ends for good, a school bus will be going to each of your houses to collect your belongings and move you to the dorms. Since you've all been allowed, you'll be moving in that day, so normal lessons won't resume until next week." Aizawa explained, "During that time, Scouting Reports from the Pros watching the event will come in, offering Work Experience Placements. They'll be waiting for you when you get back, so look forward to that."

Izuka perked up, she wondered who would send her offers. She was the winner, so quite a few would. She already knew Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye would, as would Water Hose and the Wild Wild Pussycats, but in truth, they were more out of courtesy than real desire; there was little Izuka would learn from them after spending so much of her childhood with them all. She thought on this more as she went home, and almost immediately fell asleep after a very long day.

 **[TODOROKI COMPOUND, GEONOSU WARD]**

Shoto felt a strange sense of trepidation as he arrived home, knowing his father wanted to talk to him. He half suspected him to start screaming or beat on him for his loss, or for Endeavor to take out his own frustrations for his own loss on him but something about the look in his eyes as he had left the arena made Shoto doubt this. Another part of him feared Endeavor would turn around and forbid him from having anything to do with Izuka, which was something Shoto wouldn't abide; she may not have returned his feelings, but she still cared for him as a friend and he wasn't going to give that up.

So it was rather confusing when Shoto returned home and found no hint of fire or screaming. Fuyumi, his older sister, was waiting for him with concern on her face. "Shoto! I'm so glad you're home! Father has been acting oddly ever since he got home. He greeted me, which was weird in itself, then raided the pantry for sake and then went to his office, telling me to send you to him when you got home and I haven't heard a word since!"

Shoto raised an eyebrow; "Did you watch the Sports Festival?"

Fuyumi nodded; "I did! You did amazingly! You fought really hard, but I was scared for you when you lost to that Bakugou kid. But I was even more scared when your friend challenged father!"

Shoto smirked; "She didn't just challenge him, she humiliated him."

"H-How? Didn't she lose?" Fuyumi asked fearfully.

"She threw the fight. Her quirk makes her completely immune to fire and gives her super human strength. She could have kicked his ass if she wanted, but she let him win so people didn't lose hope in heroes." Shoto explained. That had been another reminder to the boy that Izuka was already further along on the Hero's Path than he was, as Shoto doubted he'd have made the same decision. Fuyumi stood there, shocked as Shoto took off his shoes. She called after him as he went into the house, asking if it would be safe for him with their father, but Shoto just gave her a thumbs up and entered his father's office.

The room was as orderly as ever, but the temperature was way higher than usual and the faint smell of alcohol permeated the air. Endeavor was sat at his desk, a pair of flasks in his hands, one of which he was drinking from hungrily. Shoto used his quirk to cool himself a bit as he approached his father.

"I'm here." he said in a monotone.

"So I noticed. Fuyumi isn't very quiet you know." Endeavor said, swigging from the flask again. His voice was… odd. It lacked the usual fury or passion that he usually spoke with and just sounded dead or defeated.

"Is this how it is now? You lose and now you drink?" Shoto said bitingly.

Endeavor scoffed; "Don't patronise me, boy. You lost too, and it was against an opponent that didn't nullify your every talent. Besides, my quirk burns alcohol away so quickly even the strongest sake only takes the edge off a bit. Maybe if I discovered that sooner, things wouldn't have gone to shit." he said, throwing the other flask to Shoto. The boy caught it and glared at the man contemptuously.

"So you want me to wallow in my defeat like you?" Shoto growled.

"For fuck sake boy, it's water! I know I'm a poor excuse for a father, but even I'm not that much of a failure." Endeavor spat, glaring at his son. "Now sit down, I have some things to tell you."

Shoto sniffed his flask, noting it was just water. Endeavor had put the sake only in his own flask. Cooling it with his ice, Shoto took a deep drink then sighed as he sat opposite his father. "What do you have to say."

Endeavor looked out the window wistfully; "It's about your mother. There is a lot you don't know about her."

"Whose fault is that?" Shoto growled.

Endeavor ignored it and continued on; "While I did seek her out for her Quirk, it wasn't the only thing there was to her. I sought a woman with an ice quirk to counter my own fire quirk, as prolonged use would overheat me and I'd weaken. A child with both would have no weakness."

"I already know that." his son replied.

"Yes, but think about it; how many people do you know with fire quirks? There's at least two others in your class, if you count that Bakugou kid as a fire type. Elemental Quirks are fairly commonplace, so the number of women with Ice or Cooling Quirks is high. I met with hundreds of them as I sort a wife and each one of them knew why I pursued them, but many didn't care. They saw my wealth and fame and thought it was worth it to have children with me in order to share in it. But I turned them away; I wanted a wife, not a leech or surrogate. When I met Rei, your mother, she was uninterested in my fame or wealth, but apparently liked the man I was beneath it. She knew my desires but instead of scorning them, she resolved to change me, just as that Midoriya Girl did for you. Believe it or not, for a while it worked. I convinced her and her parents to consent to the marriage and we were happy for a time. When your Eldest Sibling was born, I was convinced I could have my cake and eat it too; I could have the child with the power I sought and still have a happy family with the woman I loved."

Shoto was frozen in his seat. This… this wasn't right. His father had always been a monster! He was a villain in a Hero Costume! He didn't even know what love was! He had hit his mother! Hit him! Isolated him from his siblings and stopped him from ever having friends! He had cast a shadow over his entire life! This man couldn't be anything but evil!

" _Nothing in the world is black and white. Some Villains are just people who needed help and made the wrong choices. Feeling sorry for them doesn't change that what they're doing is wrong and we as Heroes have to stop them."_ Izuka's words flashed before his mind's eye. Those words had been about villains… but could Heroes be the same? Did she see Endeavor as just a man that made poor choices and needed help?

"What happened? Why did things change?" Shoto asked, his voice croaking from the raw emotion welling within him.

Endeavor looked him in the eye and Shoto was blown away by the sheer immensity of regret he saw there. "I got impatient. Fuyumi didn't have the power I sought. Neither did your brothers. Your mother was heartbroken and your siblings began to hate me, as the moment one of my children developed a quirk that wasn't what I sort, I emotionally abandoned them and forced her to bare another child. The first two times this happened, I think she still believed I had good in me and allowed me to have my way. She thought if she could bare a child with the power I wanted, I'd snap back to being the man she'd cared for. Instead, when your power manifested, I became obsessed with cultivating it and so my neglect grew worse, until it became abusive. I stopped seeing you as a person and so I hurt you to push you forward. I stopped seeing your mother as my love and hurt her to keep her out of my way. And through it all, I justified my evil acts by saying that they were necessary to make the greatest hero of all time."

Shoto leapt to his feet and pulled his father over the desk with all his strength, pinning the man to the floor with a hand at his throat. Shoto looked down, seething with anger while Endeavor stared up, surprised but unresisting. "You bastard! This is… this is a trick! You're trying to manipulate me into doing what you want by feeding me this pack of lies! There's no way you'd change so suddenly!"

Endeavor scoffed, "Sudden? What makes you think it was sudden? These feelings have always existed, but I buried them beneath my strength and pride… your little friend destroyed those. I lost so blatantly, even as she threw the fight, how could I have any pride left? She, a fucking 15 year old girl, threw a fight because she understood more about being a Hero than I did, and I'm the fucking Number Two! But it wasn't until I got home that it really hit me..." Endeavor looked to his desk, were several files rested; files containing sensitive information on All for One's experiments, specifically Project Phoenix. He had called and requested them after his brief encounter with All-Might before the Battle Tournament and they had been delivered by the time he got home. As a Top Ranking Pro, he was allowed access to all files from any operation involving him. Once he got home, he had read them, growing sick with himself as he read. Shoto's eyes glanced over them, shocked by what he saw, though Endeavor noticed it wasn't the contents that shocked him, but the actual files being there.

"So you knew. Midoriya told you." Endeavor said.

"She told all of us. She was tortured and murdered by Villains at the USJ to protect us. When she resurrected, we had to be told." Shoto explained.

"I see. Well then if you know everything, you'll no doubt have noticed the parallels. All for One abused Midoriya to create the perfect Villain, and I abused you to create the perfect Hero. I kept telling myself it was different, but the more I read, the more I realised that if you had been born with her power, I probably would have done the same as All for One, and that realisation made me sick to my damned stomach!" Endeavor spat. Shoto looked down at his father and saw just how much self hatred was on the man's face. Losing his pride and being forced to see what he really was seemed to have shocked some degree of humanity back into him.

Shoto backed off, allowing his father to sit up, "So what now? You fucked up all our lives for years, and now you expect it to suddenly turn around and be good again? For us to forgive you?"

"No." Endeavor stated, "I have decided to remove myself from your lives for now. That girl asked me, "Why did you become a Hero" and honestly, I don't even remember any more. Until I have an answer for that… until I understand everything I did wrong, I cannot guarantee I won't make the same mistakes. I've signed the care of your mother over to Fuyumi and bought them a new house in Nabo Ward so they can get away from me. You will be at the Dorms and Natsuo is already moved out to college. I will isolate myself, until I can begin working to be someone who deserves the rank of Number Two then I'll discover what it is I'm missing, what I really need to become Number One! For what it's worth, Shoto… I am proud of you. So I want to become a Hero you can be proud of too."

Shoto sighed heavily and sat down across from his father, swiping his discarded flask. A brief sniff made him realise he'd grabbed his father's instead, but he shrugged and chugged it down regardless, the burning it caused reminding him that he hadn't drifted into a dream. "I won't forgive you." he said, "But if you truly do become a Hero like that… someone that can actually be counted on… I MIGHT reconsider. Until then, I'll use you to get stronger, just as I planned and become Number One in my own way." Shoto declared.

Endeavor smirked and swiped the flask back, drinking what was left of the sake within, "I'll be counting on it. Now, tell me how you're going to kick Bakugou's ass and win Midoriya from him."

Shoto blushed and stood up. "You ruined it. You ruined it and I'm leaving." he said, marching off sulkily as his father's roaring laughter followed him. As he walked, he began to think… all this had happened because of Izuka. Her quirk evolved those she linked with by improving them physically, but what if that wasn't all? She formed bonds with everyone she met, evolving them emotionally, changing them and making them better people. Everyone whose life she touched found themselves in a whole new world with new possibilities. She was… an angel. No other word described her.

Shoto smiled to himself. He had made a very good friend!

 **[HOSU GENERAL HOSPITAL]**

Tenya had arrived at the hospital before the finals of the Sports Festival and had been waiting alongside his mother ever since. The Doctors told them that Tensei had received a lot of serious damage and the surgeons were currently trying to repair a large amount of internal bleeding and remove bone fragments from his shattered spine in the hopes of saving the spinal cord. It was looking unlikely that Ingenium would survive, let alone walk again. The surgery went on for hours and all Tenya could do was worry in the waiting room. He tried to distract himself by watching the final rounds of the Sports Festival on his phone and he felt proud when he saw Izuka had won.

Finally, at 1AM, Tensei left surgery, thankfully alive. Tenya and his mother rushed to see him, but the moment they entered the room, they were horrified. Tensei looked tiny in his hospital bed, swamped in bandages speckled with blood and hooked up to so many machines, one could forget there was even a person beneath it all. Through it all, Tensei looked at his brother, his eyes devoid of life. "Tenya… my amazing little brother..." he rasped, "I know you… look up to me… so I'm sorry. Tenya, you're big brother failed."

"N-No! You didn't!" Tenya ran to his brother's side, "You fought bravely!"

"Tenya..." Ingenium groaned in pain, the anaesthetic slowly wearing off, "I knew it the moment it happened… the villain, he cut my spine. I've lost all feeling in my legs. My life as a hero… as Ingenium is over."

"You can't! There are still so many people you can save! So many people to inspire! I can't accept this!" Tenya argued.

"I don't like it either… but not even Recovery Girl's quirk can heal this." Tensei said weakly.

Tenya's eyes sparked; "No… but I know someone who can!" he declared, going for his phone.

One of the doctors approached him, "Mr Iida, who are you referring to?"

"Izuka Midoriya! Her quirk can heal anything by destroying damaged areas with fire and rebuilding it on a cellular level! She explained it all to me, with enough blood to power it, she can heal anything but death itself!" Tenya explained.

"Midoriya? Wait, is she the girl that healed All-Might? If she could do that then maybe… but Tensei can't afford to lose that much blood!" the Doctor pointed out.

"No, but she only needs a single drop from Tensei. The rest can come from anyone!" Tenya said. "Please, she promised to help if she could! Let me call her!"

The Doctor looked at his colleagues before nodding. Truthfully, they had done everything they could just keeping Tensei alive. So long as Midoriya didn't worsen the situation (and it couldn't get much worse) then they had to let her try. Tenya sighed with relief and immediately called Izuka.

The phone only rang twice before it was picked up. _"Tenya. Do ya need my help?"_ Izuka's voice asked groggily. She'd clearly been sleeping.

"Izuka! Yes, I need your help. Tensei needs serious healing and the doctors have done all they could. Can you come?" Tenya asked urgently.

" _Of course. It's Hosu General Hospital, right? I saw on the news... I'll just tell my Mom and Dad then fly there immediately."_

"Thank you so much. I am truly in your debt." Tenya replied, hanging up. "She'll be here soon."

Soon turned out to be an understatement. With her wings and fire, she made the journey from Nabo to Hosu in just fifteen minutes, running full speed through the hospital alongside a rather athletic nurse to were Tensei was in the ICU.

"It's okay now! I'm here!" Izuka said, not even noticing she'd used her dad's catchphrase.

"Izuka! Thank you for coming! Please, can you help him?" Tenya asked urgently.

"I think so. Can I see him a bit closer? Oh! Hello Mrs Iida, I apologise for the intrusion." Izuka said, suddenly noticing Tenya's mother and bowing to her.

Mrs Iida nodded appreciatively, "Think nothing of it, Midoriya. It is nice to meet one of Tenya's friends, I just wish it wasn't like this." she said, gesturing for Izuka to take her place at Tensei's bed side. Izuka looked over the crippled hero, her face paling as she took in the exact nature of the injuries.

Tensei weakly smirked at her, "Hey Midoriya… been a while. How you doing? Better than me I imagine."

Izuka smiled sadly, "Yeah, but I'll fix it. Can I see his notes?" she asked. The Doctor in charge of the case nodded and handed the small bundle of files to the girl. Izuka skimmed them, focusing only on things that would affect her healing and what wounds there were. She was no expert, but Recovery Girl had taught her enough medical terminology for her to reliably work out what she needed to do.

It was a lot.

To heal Tensei, she would need to undo everything the surgeons had done to save his life, as she needed to be able to physically touch his spine, then heal him layer by layer. It would take a long time, with Tensei bleeding nearly constantly, which was a major danger. "How much blood do I have to work with? I'll need it to power my quirk, and Tensei is going to need a lot as I'll need to move parts out of the way to reach his spine, so he'll bleed a lot."

The Doctor frowned. "For Tensei, we have enough for him to bleed nearly constantly for about three hours. Outside of that, we can't spare more than that. Our hospital is small but busy, especially with that villain running amok. We can donate some of our own blood for your healing though. But there aren't a lot of people who can donate. Just myself, two of my fellow surgeons and a skeleton crew of nurses."

"You have myself and Mother too." Tenya said, his mother nodding beside him.

Izuka tried to do the math as best she could; her healing wasn't an exact science, different blood seemed to be able to heal more damage than others so she couldn't work out the exact amount needed, especially when they were talking about healing on a cellular level. Instead, she had to judge based on how much blood she consumed per second. With Tensei already well anaesthetised, she could push it a bit without sending him into shock, but it would still take a few hours due to the finicky nature of the internal injuries.

"Okay. I'll begin the healing. I'll need a nurse or someone to keep Tensei's pain under control while I work."

The Athletic Nurse saluted and ran to grab several syringes filled with anaesthesia, returning with his arms full of the stuff. Izuka nodded, "I'll be using others blood first. One at a time, you'll need to cut your palm and then place it in my pink flames. It won't hurt, and I'll stop once I've taken the safe amount."

The Doctor was the first to volunteer (Tenya was asked to be last, for some reason) and the moment Izuka began the healing process, he placed his cut hand into the fire. Tenya watched and was torn between horrified by seeing his brother's insides and bewitched by the way Izuka healed. She had produced a pink fireball on her thigh so as to keep her hands free for the delicate work and the Doctor had to keep his hand there (much to the man's embarrassment). Izuka worked like a painter, gently dabbing her finger into the pink flame and then stroking against various parts of Tensei's insides, occasionally moving so one of the other surgeons could suction out the pooling blood in Tensei's chest cavity and reintroduce it to the hero's system (it was the man's quirk). She worked meticulously, her eyes watching every miniscule action happening in Tensei's body as she healed him. It took an hour to heal Tensei's spine to full health and another to heal the internal bleeding. One by one, the volunteers for blood donation came to help, and one by one they were sent away after giving as much blood as Izuka would willingly take. Tenya began to feel hope for the future when it was his turn.

Then Izuka scowled.

"Tenya, listen to me carefully. I need you to get everyone out of the room. It is important; please trust me." she said quietly.

"Izuka? What's wrong."

"No time now, please do it!"

Tenya frowned but nodded; "Everyone! Izuka requires us all to leave the room! She needs to perform an action with her quirk that is protected by law! Only those who have Government approval may know of it!"

Izuka groaned. If she'd wanted to let them know that, she wouldn't have asked Tenya to get them out, she'd have said it herself! That's what she gets for expecting a lie from the Straight-Laced Tenya.

Mrs Iida was willing, as were the nurses but the doctors weren't so confident. "Miss Midoriya, is this true?"

"It's supposed to be secret, but yes it is. I can't reveal it, but I assure you, if you leave, then when you return, Tensei will be fully healed." she promised.

"This last ability of yours… will it cause any harm to Tensei or Tenya?" The Doctor asked.

"It won't, I swear it." Izuka replied.

"And what about you?" he asked, watching her pointedly.

Izuka felt her stomach twist; "I assure you, I'll be in the same condition when you come back as I am now. It'll take just ten minutes."

Tenya didn't miss the indirect answer, but for the sake of his brother, he said nothing. The Doctors weren't happy, but they acquiesced and left the room. Tenya immediately ran and used a chair to block the door, then drew the curtains and threw his shirt over the camera so there would be no chance of someone walking in and seeing what was about to happen. Once that was done, he turned to Izuka.

"What do you need to do?" Tenya asked fearfully. He knew the answer, he just hoped he was wrong.

"I don't have enough blood to finish the healing. I have enough for another five minutes, but it'll take me at least ten to heal Tensei enough that he can resume Hero Work. His lungs and several muscles in his back and abdomen have been damaged and if I don't fix it, he won't be able to use his quirk properly. He'd barely be able to climb a set of stairs without panting. But if I stop the healing to wait for more blood, I'll need to redo all my work." Izuka said with frown.

Tenya scowled; "What? Why? Can't you just stop, rest a bit to replenish your blood and then keep healing?"

Izuka shook her head. "It's the way my quirk works; it converts blood into special stem cells that Recovery Girl dubbed "Phoenix Recovery Stem Cells" or PRS Cells. A special coating covers these cells when they're first created that lets my quirk differentiate them from the cells I use for fuel. When the body is completely restored, the PRS Cells lose their power and convert to normal cells. But if I only heal a person partially, they remain as PRS Cells to accelerate the healing a bit. It's kind of an emergency fail safe to keep a patient alive if I pass out or die during healing. But as a downside, the PRS Cells will immediately be consumed the second I apply more of my healing flame. I can pause my healing for a few moments without worry, but anything more than 200 seconds and they will lose the coating that stops my flames consuming them in the same way as blood."

The tall boy's eyes widened; "So if we stop for more than three minutes or so, those special cells will all be consumed when you begin again and undo all your work… how long until the PRS Cells turn into normal ones if you don't finish healing?

"On wounds of this scale, I'd say it takes three months for the incomplete PRS cells to become unrecognisable as fuel to my quirk's flames, so I'd either have to start again, wait those three months to finish the healing or leave him like this." Izuka looked Tenya in the eye; "But if I die… when I revive, my blood will have been replenished and I'll be able to keep going. I have enough blood that if you kill me by slitting my throat, my blood will feed the flames long enough for me to revive and take control." she explained, placing the remains of her pink flames into the wound so they could heal without her direct control. The remaining work didn't need any fine control anyway, so that was fine.

Tenya paled dramatically; "Y-You can't! We… we should wait the three months!"

Izuka watched him carefully, "Tenya, how many lives do you think Ingenium can save in three months? He saves at least three every week. That's a minimum of 36 lives he could save. I come back anyway, so there's no downside."

"But… but I said… I thought you were going to value your life more!" Tenya argued weakly.

"I do. But I can't rightfully say that it is better to let 36 people die than to die myself. I come back, they won't." Izuka replied, her voice shaking. It was clear to Tenya… she was afraid. She was shaking badly and breaking out in a cold sweat, but despite her terror, she smiled shakily. "Believe me Tenya, I don't want to do this, but as a Hero, this is all I can do to protect people at the moment; healing others. If… if you can't do it, I won't judge you, I'm asking you something horrible here, so if you want… hand me a blade and leave the room. I can handle the rest."

The boy froze; she was going to do it anyway… for the sake of his brother and the people he'd save, Izuka was going to kill herself. It felt like some kind of pagan ritual; sacrificing herself for the benefit of the people as a whole. Tenya felt ice building in his soul; he wouldn't leave her. He wouldn't avert his eyes; this was being done for the sake of the innocent, so as a Hero in training, he would bear it.

"Okay… I'll do it." Tenya said, slowly grabbing the scalpel they'd been using to cut their hands. Izuka reached to take the scalpel, but Tenya pulled it away. The message was clear… Izuka would suffer death for Ingenium's sake, and Tenya would suffer as well, as the one to wield the blade.

"I'm sorry Tenya, I really am. Now, when you k-kill me, you'll need to hold my body over the flame so my blood feeds it. It'll be 200 seconds exactly; three minutes and 20 seconds." Izuka instructed, leaning forward so her neck was stretched out over the flame, like a condemned prisoner about to be beheaded.

The next three minutes were the most harrowing of Tenya's life. He held Izuka by the shoulder and quickly dragged the scalpel across her throat. He tried to block out the slight shake of her shoulders, the feel of the blade cutting through flesh, the quiet whimper that gave way to chokes and gurgles, but in the end, he gave it and looked. He wanted to look away instantly, but didn't. This was the result of Izuka's resolve… she chose this, because it would save others. She suffered for their sake, and so Tenya would suffer for hers. He wouldn't let her suffer alone. The blood flowed freely onto the pink flame, which continued to burn, healing Tensei and slowly restoring the Hero to peak condition. It took only a short time for Izuka to die, her body simply stopping, like someone had cut the strings of a puppet. Tenya felt his chest squeeze painfully at that, but he told himself once again that this was a sacrifice for the greater good, something that had to be done for others to live. Finally, the 200 seconds expired and Izuka's body glowed before returning to full health.

"Argh… I really hate getting my throat cut. I'm sorry I made you do that, Tenya, but thank you; thanks to you, I can save Ingenium and he can save others." Izuka said, gingerly touching her throat as she doubled the healing speed, now that she had the blood to spare.

"Don't apologise to me or thank me… I don't deserve it. All of this is your effort, and your sacrifice." Tenya said quietly, reclaiming his shirt from the camera so the others wouldn't return to find him topless. He walked over to a small sink used to wash surgical equipment and promptly vomited. Once his stomach was empty, he let Izuka heal in silence as he worked things through in his head. He was deeply unsettled by killing Izuka, but ultimately, he viewed it no differently from him slashing his own palm; because to Izuka, it might as well be the same thing. He knew he wasn't to blame, even though he had asked Izuka to heal Tensei. No, the only one at fault was the one who caused it in the first place.

It was the Hero Killer's fault.

Tenya's expression turned cold; he knew what he would be doing during his work experience.

Turning back, he found Izuka had already finished and had even healed the marks from the IV, which she'd removed after checking that it was safe to. Tensei lay in bed, his colour restored to it's proper hue, his body in the same condition as it had been when the Hero got up that morning. Not even a scar remained of his ordeal and if Tenya didn't know better, he'd have said his brother was just sleeping. Izuka smiled kindly at Tenya and hugged him as she went to let the others back in.

The Doctors and Nurses were amazed as they saw Tensei in perfect condition, and Mrs Iida had cried and thanked Izuka profusely, which Izuka had shyly accepted. At her first opportunity, Izuka excused herself, wanting to head home and sleep (though she kissed Tenya on the cheek and told him he was very brave before she left). As she walked out the door, Mrs Iida stopped her.

"Please, Miss Midoriya! There must be something we can do to repay you!" she said earnestly.

Izuka just smiled kindly; "I was just repaying my debt to you and Tensei. Now we're even. Tensei gave me his autograph after all!" she chirped, only half joking.

Mrs Iida giggled, then looked puzzled, "But… what debt did you owe me?"

Izuka looked Tenya in the eye, smiling warmly; "You gave me one of my best friends. I've got to go now, good night!" she said before running off, eager for the warm embrace of her own bed.

Tenya watched her leave, his heart twisting painfully. She'd done it again… like an Angel, Izuka had flown in and made his problems disappear and this time, she'd been hurt doing it. His Mother took his hand, "You've made a good friend there. She's a funny little thing, but she'll be a great hero." she said.

"Yes, she will." Tenya said. And the Hero Killer would pay for his part in this. Tenya would make sure of it.


	25. A Phoenix No More

**The Immortal Hero: Phoenix**

 **Chapter 25: A Phoenix No More**

When Izuka returned from Hosu General Hospital after healing Ingenium, it was very early in the morning, yet her parents were waiting up for her. She'd told them what she was doing, of course, but that didn't mean they had been happy. Izuka hoped they wouldn't scold her too much, since she was so tired, but she had to confess what happened. Inko and Toshinori sat on either side of their daughter as she told them about how Ingenium had been cripplingly wounded by a mysterious Villain in Hosu and had been left paralysed. She explained how she had promised Tenya she would come to help if Ingenium needed healing that the doctors couldn't manage, which had led to the 1AM desperate call. She told them of how she'd worked for hours and consumed as much blood from herself and the others present as she could, before deciding she had no choice. Inko gasped and Toshinori grimaced as she told them of how she had convinced Tenya to slit her throat to heal his brother, but she explained her reasoning and while neither liked it, they knew there was no real argument to be made or other option. The Hospital didn't have the blood to spare and Ingenium would help a lot of people, plus there was technically no downside outside of a potential hit to Tenya's mental health. When Toshinori had mentioned that, Izuka had begun to panic and cry, calling herself an awful person until her parents were able to calm her and lull her to sleep.

The next day, Izuka awoke late. In fact it was already evening and the Second Year Sports Festival had ended already, but when she came down, she found her parents sat around the dining room table, chatting with the Iidas. "Tenya! Ingenium! Mrs Iida! It's good to see you all!" Izuka smiled, running to hug Tenya and bow politely to the other two. She was glad she'd decided to ignore her urge to wander about in her Pyjamas.

"Izuka! We are glad you are wake! We had come to express our thanks properly, yet you were asleep and we dare not wake you!" Tenya yelled with a smile.

"That's nice of you! Ingenium sir, are you doing well? Everything working okay?" Izuka asked, sitting at the table with her parents.

The Pro Hero was dressed in his Hero gear, sans helmet, and grinned widely. His hair was buzzed down so the doctors could stitch a bad head injury, so while the injury was gone, the hair couldn't be restored so easily. "Please, if anyone has the right to call me Tensei, it's you. You saved my life, and at the cost of your own." he smiled.

"She tends to do that… more often than I'd like." Inko deadpanned. Izuka gaped as Tensei so cavalierly stated her secret in front of his mother. Seeing her daughter's expression, Inko giggled, "Honestly, we couldn't exactly not tell them. Tenya knew already, and Ingenium is a top hero! It's only fair I tell their mother."

"Indeed." Mrs Iida stated, standing up and bowing low, "My name is Yamiko Iida, the former pro hero Slipstream. I wish to offer my heart felt thanks to you for healing my son. Tensei lives to be a hero, and if you hadn't made the sacrifice you did, he would have been forced to retire. We of the Iida family are in your debt."

Izuka squeaked and returned the bow, forgetting to stand first so accidentally hitting her head on the table. The Yagi-Midoriyas tried to restrain their laughter while the Iidas watched bewildered as the girl whined in pain, then jumped up and bowed properly. "S-Slipstream! Oh gosh, I love you! You were one of the top female heroes of the last generation and THE top female Rescue Hero before you retired! C-Can I please have your autograph?"

Yamiko blinked, "Um, of course! Is there anything else you want? I'd be happy to do whatever I can! With my late husband having passed away and Tensei still unmarried, I am the de-facto head of the Iida Family. There's a lot I can offer you."

Izuka grinned; "Just the Autograph would be good! You don't owe me anything!" she said, before racing off to find her older notebooks. When she returned, she had an old and well-used notebook in hand, which had been well cared for, considering how it had been carefully repaired and the corners were still sharp and not rounded. Izuka flipped to one of the early pages and showed Yamiko the entry for Slipstream. The picture was a childish replication of an old newspaper photo, drawn in crayon and the notes were written in emotional language and in a childish hand, reflecting Izuka's young and immature self when she made the entry. The notes weren't as analytical as Tenya and Tensei were used to from their own pages in Izuka's notes, but they still showed a fair amount of interest and creativity.

"This is wonderfully done. You should have a Hero Analysis and Strategy business when you grow up." Yamiko winked, "You know, in what time you have between saving people."

Izuka blushed and had to suppress an excited squeal when Yamiko signed the book. Slipstream wasn't a hero well known for hanging around when there was no danger, so autographs of hers were rare and valuable.

"Now that I've signed that for you, we have something to confess to you..." Yamiko said, sheepishly pushing up her glasses. Izuka tilted her head in confusion as Tenya and Tensei exchanged apologetic looks. She turned to her parents, who looked mildly amused.

"What is it?"

"Well, it's probably best if we showed you. We recorded the Sports Festival for you, so you could watch it later, but before the festival started, they had the news, like always you know? Only the news story that was headlining… well..." Toshi gulped, "Well it's best I show you."

Izuka suspiciously followed her father to the den while her mom and the Iida's followed. They all sat around on the sofas, with Izuka in the centre as the recorded new story was played. It was on the National Hero Network, so that meant all of Japan would have seen it, assuming they were watching the festival.

" _And now, before we get to our live coverage of the U.A Sports Festival's Second Year Event, we have a special report! Yesterday afternoon, we reported that the notorious Hero Killer suspected to be operating in Hosu Ward had attacked Pro Hero Ingenium and succeeded in gravely wounding the hero. However, in the early hours of this morning, we received a report from Hosu General Hospital that Ingenium had been permanently disabled. We here at the Hero Network were naturally shocked by this, but then just two hours ago, the Doctor assigned to Ingenium's case informed us that the hero had made a miraculous recovery and was now in peak physical condition, being discharged almost immediately after being healed._

 _The reason for this miraculous healing was revealed to be Izuka Midoriya, U.A Hero Department First Year whom has shocked the country multiple times in her short 15 years."_ Izuka's eyes widened and her mouth hung open. A picture of her was on the screen, and not just any picture; it was one of her during the final moments of her battle with Katsuki; with her six wings of light and her angelic appearance. Truthfully, she barely recognised herself.

" _For those of you unaware, Midoriya first became known to the public when she tragically fell victim to the All for One Kidnappings. She was the only survivor and was rescued in a large Hero Operation a year after her capture. In the aftermath of the battle between Number One Hero All-Might and All for One, she was stated to have healed a wound on All-Might that was supposedly lethal, saving the man's life in the process. Three years later, Midoriya would make a name for herself as a young hero by aiding in the Moncalama Incident, healing the Hero Team Water Hose and assisting in the defeat of Villain Muscular. Just yesterday, she fought in the Sports Festival's First Year portion and achieved First Place, battling and defeating Ingenium's own younger brother in the process!"_

A series of clips played, showing her actions in the Obstacle Race, the speech she made in Hitoshi's defence and the winning blows against Tenya, Momo and Katsuki, and even her final attack against Endeavor.

" _But not even that was enough for the rising star Midoriya! In the middle of the night, allegedly due to a call from Ingenium's brother, Tenya Iida, she flew to the hospital and over a multiple hour procedure, she was able to heal Ingenium to full health with the same quirk as she used to heal All-Might and Water Hose! We were able to reach out to the Iida Family this morning and were lucky enough to receive interviews from them."_

Izuka looked to the three Iidas with shock, but they all looked away, somewhat embarrassed. The anchorwoman vanished from the screen and a video of Tenya appeared in her place.

" _Mr Iida! What can you tell us about Miss Midoriya and what happened last night?"_

The recorded Tenya seemed startled by the sudden reporter approaching him outside Hosu Hospital, _"Izuka saved my brother's career. At great risk to her health, she saved my brother. She is a hero. As a Student of U.A, this is as much as I can say to the Press. Apologies."_

The Interview then switched to Tensei, _"What about you, Ingenium? How do you feel about the girl that saved your life?"_

" _Well, I met Midoriya at the USJ for the make up Rescue Trial. She seemed a shy, but friendly and enthusiastic girl. From what I understand, she apparently promised my little brother that she'd come to my aid if Tenya called her. She was there fifteen minutes after he did, and when I lost consciousness and woke up this morning, I was in full health. I can say without exaggeration that without her, there would be no Ingenium. She has my eternal thanks!"_

Izuka blushed madly. The interview with Yamiko was basically the same as her sons', and the whole report ended with the Reporter and the Anchorwoman asking the country to join them in wishing Izuka luck in her future career as a Hero. They made comparisons between her and All-Might, Endeavor, Edge Shot and Best Jeanist; all popular and powerful heroes with heroic stories from their high school days. When it was finally over, Toshi turned off the TV and turned to find Izuka red faced and practically steaming from embarrassment.

"Everyone is talking about you, my girl. We suspected this would happen due to your victory in the Sports Festival, but saving Ingenium… you've just become the Top Hero Student in Japan, at least in popularity. If you were already a Pro Hero, you'd likely get in the Top Ten after this." Toshinori said.

"Papa, I'm not ready for this! Oh gosh, everyone's going to be staring at me! And the Work Experience Placements! I'm going to get tons now! I didn't want to get famous so soon!" Izuka whined. Despite her boost in confidence, at her heart she was still a shy girl.

"For the record, we're sorry about this. We didn't realise that the Doctors would tell the press so soon. We had hoped to just pass off the report of my injury as a mistake, but we got there too late. They ambushed us as we left the Hospital and we had to give interviews to get through." Tensei explained.

Izuka sighed defeated. There was no going back. Idly, she looked at her phone and groaned… every single person in class had texted or called her, all about the Ingenium Incident. Damn, that was the fourth "incident" she was a part of. If she believed in such things, Izuka would have thought she was bad luck or something.

Toshinori stroked her hair to calm her, "Most of your friends came over at some point today, but left so they wouldn't disturb you. Katsuki wanted to stay, but he needed to finish packing for the move to the Dorms. They're all fine and wish you well, though I suspect you'll get quite a scolding from them if you tell them you died again. Are you going to tell them? I know you wanted to tell them about the Evolution and Human things." he said, being purposely vague so Tenya wouldn't know what he meant.

"Yeah, I'll tell them. I promised no more secrets… Kacchan's going to kill me, and Momo and Ochako will scold whatever is left. Then Shoto and Eiji will probably never let me out of their sight again." Izuka whined. She knew her friends cared deeply for her, so she understood why they'd be upset with her and she appreciated that they cared enough to scold her, but that didn't mean she liked it.

Tenya sighed; "I will share in the blame. I foresee Bakugou and Todoroki being most displeased with me…"

Both teens suddenly paled dramatically; "Oh no… Aizawa-Sensei!" Izuka suddenly said.

"He will be furious. I don't think we'll escape a life time of detention this time." Tenya replied.

"I just narrowly avoided it last time! Oh man… I don't think he'll let us watch anime like last time." Izuka sulked. Suddenly, she was much less eager to go back to school the day after tomorrow. "Well you never know, maybe he'll forget?" Izuka finally said, hope in her voice.

Toshi crushed that hope; "He texted me earlier and told me that you and he would be having a talk on the day you move to the dorms." he said guiltily.

"Well, this is my life now. I have become suffering. Tenya, you better say some nice stuff at my funeral." she whined.

Tenya frowned; "Your funeral? You're immortal! It'll be my funeral! Bakugou, Todoroki and Ochako will probably give me a Viking Funeral by firing me into the sun!"

The two teens sighed, before breaking out into laughter. After all the high emotion and stress of the previous day, the two were happy to release some of the pent up feelings. Yamiko quietly told Izuka that Tenya was being made to see a therapist (namely Doctor Miragi Nekozawa) for his experience in killing her. He'd be starting the sessions after their Work Experience, so Tenya's education wouldn't be interrupted. The Iidas ended up staying for much of the evening, having dinner with the Yagi-Midoriya family (though Izuka wasn't allowed to help since she was meant to be resting). It was a pleasant evening and by the time it was over, Izuka was exhausted despite only being awake for a few hours, so she returned to bed. She still had the next day off, then it would be time to move to the dorms!

On the last day of the Sports Festival, Izuka relaxed at home, forbidden from training or going out, she lazed around, doing some packing and watching the event on TV. Mirio, Tamaki and Nejire had all taken part and done fairly well, getting to the final event, though it was ultimately Mirio who took the top spot, challenging All-Might in the Exhibition Match. He had fought hard, but ultimately lost to the Number One's overwhelming power, but Mirio looked so proud that he'd even had a chance to fight the man! Izuka called him to congratulate him, and commiserating with him over Sir Nighteye not coming to watch either of them. Nighteye and Gran Torino were focused entirely on hunting the League of Villains, so they hadn't been seen much recently.

Finally, the day came when Izuka and her classmates would move to the dorms. Her parents had already departed since they were staff, leaving Izuka to say goodbye to her home on her own. It was a somewhat sad experience, but Izuka and her mother were of the opinion that it was the people that made the home, so since her parents and friends would be with her, the Dorms would be a happy new home! It was fairly late in the day by the time the bus came to collect her, where she discovered she was the last one to be picked up.

"Hey Izuka!" Momo greeted as Katsuki, Shoto and Tenya hopped out of the bus to help Izuka put her suitcases into the luggage compartment.

"Hi guys. Is everyone doing okay? I'm sorry I didn't reply to your texts before, but it's been kind of crazy." Izuka apologised, taking a seat beside Ochako.

"We're all good. My parents came to surprise me! We spent the last day in my apartment together!" Ochako grinned.

"That's great!" Izuka smiled, looking around. Including herself, there was only 19 students; the new student they'd be getting must have been collected separately. Aizawa-Sensei was lazily watching the group from the front, standing to address them once everyone was back in their seats.

"Alright you lot, here's the plan for the day. We'll be dropping off your luggage at the front gates and the robots will move it to the Dorms. During that, we'll be meeting our new student in the classroom. Izuka, this student has already signed a non-disclosure agreement about your quirks and relationship with All-Might, so they're safe to tell. Once the meet and greet is done and all the necessary secrets have been told, we'll head to the Dorms. Everyone got that?" he said.

"Yes Sensei!" the class shouted, and with that, the bus began moving to the school. The trip was fairly short, so the students chattered way, many of them proudly talking of how they'd been recognised by the public.

"I got so many stares! It was kind of embarrassing!" Toru said.

"Me too! Middle Schoolers kept asking me to use Plus Ultra Mode! They wanted to take a picture with "Punk Rock Ashido!" ain't that crazy!?" Mina gushed.

"Yeah, the same happened to me!" Kirishima grinned, "Some kids said I was like Ruby Knight from that anime we watched!"

"Good for you… I kept getting kids and old ladies saying "Nice Try!" to me all day." Sero complained.

Tsuyu croaked in laughter, "My little sister said the same after watching your fight."

"To think, one event and everyone's suddenly got their eyes on us! That's U.A for you." Kaminari grinned.

"But it was definitely Izuka that took the spotlight! You win the event then go and save Ingenium! I'm kind of jealous." Kyoka smiled.

Izuka blushed, "Yeah, I saw the news story… I'll explain what happened later, okay?" she promised. She had to tell them about her no longer being Human, and her own Plus Ultra Mode after all. A few of her classmates sulked and looked to Tenya, hoping he would spill the beans, but the boy simply shook his head; as far as he was concerned, he would let Izuka set the pace for telling this story.

Eventually, they reached U.A and disembarked, heading to their classroom while the little helper robots swarmed the bus to collect their belongings. Reaching their classroom, they all took their seats while Aizawa went to collect their new classmate, who was waiting in the Principal's Office after being given the run down of their new position. Finally, the Classroom door swung open and the class held their breath, eager to see their new classmate.

As Aizawa walked in, Izuka grinned widely, nearly leaping from her seat as she saw her new classmate; Hitoshi Shinso!

"Hi." he said with a smirk as the class looked at him.

Aizawa addressed them; "As you know, Hitoshi Shinso was the best Non-Hero Student in the Sports Festival. As such, several teachers, including myself, recommended he be admitted to our class to fill Mineta's empty spot. After a review by the admittance board and the Principal, Shinso is now officially a member of Class 1-A."

"Great!" Izuka cheered, leaping up to shake Shinso's hand in congratulations, "I'm so glad you're here! I hoped it would be you!"

Hitoshi grinned, "Thanks. I've got to thank you, I think your words helped the board make the decision."

"It's no problem, I just said what I felt! You guys agree too, right?" Izuka looked to her fellow classmates and none could deny she was right, especially when faced with those happy sparkling eyes. Even Ojiro begrudgingly admitted Shinso was worthy of the spot, and had merely used his quirk as best he could to get as far as he could.

"Thanks for having me." Hitoshi bowed his head; "I'm Hitoshi Shinso, my quirk is Brainwashing. I like cats and riding my bike. I'll be living with you guys in the dorms now." he introduced.

The class clapped politely. Katsuki just raised an eyebrow at the boy's interaction with Izuka, but it was fairly innocent in the same way as Glasses and Shitty Hair, so he ignored it. Purple Fuck Number 2 was no threat to him. The rest of the class gave short introductions to him, so Hitoshi knew who they all were as he took his new seat behind Izuka. Once he was seated, Izuka shyly went to the front of the class for her revelations.

"Okay, Hitoshi, most of what I'm about to say is just for you, since I told the others already. A lot of it is going to sound crazy and unbelievable, but I swear it's the truth." she said shyly.

Hitoshi smirked; "Relax. Whatever it is, it can't be that crazy."

He was wrong… oh how he was wrong.

His face paled and he was certain his jaw would need to be surgically reattached from how hard it had hit the floor. Izuka told him everything, absolutely EVERYTHING that she'd told the rest of the class. Hitoshi could barely believe it… Izuka being the step daughter of All-Might was crazy, but he could understand it. The amazing power of the Link Evolution Quirk was really pushing it, but seeing the power used by Class 1-A in the Sports Festival, he had no choice but to believe it! But the power of Phoenix… Immortality. All for One had killed her over and over… Hitoshi's grandfather still hated the girl for surviving while Hitoshi's uncle had died, but she hadn't survived at all! She'd died a lot and only a one in a billion quirk had saved her from death by condemning her to unending torture! She'd even been tortured and killed in front of her classmates at the USJ! Hitoshi suddenly felt a lot more understanding towards Mineta swapping places with him; if he'd been forced to tell a villain to torture the girl, he might have done the same. No wonder these 1-A guys were so protective of the green haired girl… she'd literally died for them!

"That's… well. Aizawa-Sensei, can I curse?" Hitoshi asked.

Aizawa sighed and promptly plugged his ears with his fingers. The moment he was deaf, Hitoshi screamed "FUCK!" as loud as he could, startling most of the class and making Katsuki chuckle. "Izuka, what the actual fuck! You aren't going to be making a habit of dying for us, are you?"

"Don't worry Shinso." Momo smiled, "We've been keeping an eye on her. She hasn't died again since the USJ!"

Izuka gulped and Tenya paled; "Well..." the girl began. Instantly, all eyes were on her and she felt very much like a rabbit before a 19 hungry wolves.

Aizawa gripped her shoulder, "Midoriya. Explain." he said sternly.

Izuka blinked, "But I thought you knew already, Aizawa-Sensei! Dad said you texting him about talking to me."

"That was about you saving Ingenium and the effects it had on the public, not… wait! That's how you died isn't it! You died from overdoing your healing on Ingenium!" Aizawa frowned.

"Sort of..." Izuka said guiltily. She confessed everything that had happened, from Tenya's extremely early morning call to her healing Ingenium. She had tried glossing over exactly how she died, but Tenya stood and confessed that he had killed her himself, on Izuka's order, to heal his brother. He had bowed his head and apologised profusely, but the class was still rather angry.

"I can't believe it. You promised to value your life more!" Momo scolded, getting up and pulling on Izuka's ear like she was a naughty child.

"I do, really! I only did it because it would have saved Ingenium and let him get back to work! Then he could save more people! Come on, Ingenium saves at least three people a week! I couldn't let him stay in hospital for three months!" Izuka weakly argued. She was so sure of her decision, yet she still had trouble standing up for that decision when faced with the concern of the people who loved her. She looked to Tenya for help, only to find the boy was wrapped in tape and gagged while several boys surrounded him menacingly. She knew they wouldn't hurt him for real, but it was still kind of scary to see.

"Everyone, please don't blame Tenya! He asked for my help, true, but he argued against me dying right up to the end. He only agreed when I told him I'd do it anyway if he left the room." Izuka protested. To her surprise, it was Kacchan that freed the boy, ripping the tape off him with little effort.

"Don't be fucking dense." he scolded the other boys, "None of you would have been able to resist Deku when she does that damn cute stare of hers. Dumbass Glasses just did what he was told." Katsuki said dismissively, returning to his seat.

Tenya nodded in thanks, "Thank you, Bakugou. While it is true I tried to dissuade Izuka, I still ultimately caved. Aizawa-Sensei, if there is going to be any punishment for this, it should be mine." he bowed, "Please do not punish Izuka for doing what she felt was right."

Aizawa sighed, "I'll be discussing this with the both of you, but for now, rest assured I don't plan on punishing you. I really hate to admit this, but with all the information we have at hand, Midoriya acted in a way that was unavoidable for the sake of maintaining the public good. However, if I learn there was another option that would have let Ingenium keep working without taking your life, I WILL be punishing you. Understood?" he said, looking the girl in the eye.

"Yes Sensei. I'm sorry. For the record, I did think about every other option before deciding on dying." Izuka promised.

Hitoshi groaned; "What kind of insane class did I walk into?"

"Class 1-A!" Ojiro grinned.

Once the news of her dying again had calmed down a bit, Izuka set about explaining the rest of her news, namely what she'd learned after her battle with Katsuki. The news of her own Plus Ultra Mode was interesting to the class. She had to omit the part about One for All, since she'd promised her father not to reveal the specifics of that quirk, but it didn't take much for the class to accept that Izuka's own Evolution had done the whole thing, building a Plus Ultra Mode from the fragments of their quirks she copied during a link.

"So it's mine and Aoyama's quirks that made the power you used against Bakugou?" Momo asked.

"Yeah. I've been calling it Plus Ultra: Seraphic Light. Aoyama's contribution is obvious, since this mode let me shoot light beams from crystallised parts of my body but more than that, I don't know. I'm not sure how your quirk affected it, Momo." Izuka explained.

"How can you tell who is who with those links?" Hitoshi asked, "You can feel them? Does everyone feel different?"

"Yes. It's kind of tough to explain, but if I focus on a particular person I've linked with, I kind of get hints of smells, tastes and other feelings, including emotions. Speaking of links..." Izuka padded over to Hitoshi and took his hand, forming a link with him before almost immediately breaking it off and returning to the front of the class.

"That was… odd." Hitoshi commented, missing the brief feeling of completeness the link gave him.

"Now that I've linked with you, your quirk should have evolved in some way. Plus, I can now feel you a bit. Hmm, your link feels like a ball of yarn, and little whispers keep coming through, asking me questions I can barely hear. Kind of weird." Izuka explained.

"What about the rest of us? What do we feel like to you?" Kirishima asked.

"Ah, well..." Izuka focused, closing her eyes and concentrating on the various sensations, "Aizawa-sensei feels like tired mist. Like if I try to forcibly touch it, it'll slip through my fingers, but if I leave my hand out, it'll settle there. Aoyama feels like a shining star, no surprise there. Mina feels like warm silly putty and smells like bubble gum. Tsuyu feels and smells like damp earth and morning dew. Tenya feels rigid and sharp, like a perfect cube, but smells of a weird mix of gasoline and cologne. Ochako is almost the opposite, feeling like a perfect sphere and smelling faintly of cedar. Ojiro is kind of furry, like an animal and I hear little chittering sounds when I focus on him. Kaminari doesn't have a solid feeling and is more like how you feel when standing outside before a storm… kind of an impeding sense of static? Kirishima is easy; he feels like a rock! But just below the surface is something smoother and tougher. Koda feels really soft and gentle, but I feel like if I try to focus too tightly on him, the feeling will disappear. Sato doesn't feel like anything really, but when I focus on his link, I can taste something sweet and smell caramel! Shoji feels massive, but blank, like a giant canvas with nothing painted on it, and I sort of smell squid ink? Kyoka is another tough one; I feel something small and thin and metal, like a coin, but as I focus on it, I hear faint music that plays in tune with my heartbeat. Sero feels sticky, like if I grip his link, I won't be able to let go easily. Tokoyami is really weird; he feels just like those yin-yang symbols, two sided and contrasting. Shoto feels like eating ice cream on a hot day; I taste vanilla and feel the sun's rays on my face. Toru feels like a mirror, like every single feeling I have towards her is reflected back, but behind it all is something tiny and quiet, hidden beneath the mirror's surface. Kacchan's..." Izuka smiled warmly.

"Kacchan smells like Cinnamon and I can practically taste it, faint whispers of it on my tongue. I feel fire, yet it is as soft as silk, and I feel a strength greater than even All-Might. There are hints of wood smoke around his link, like burning incense." Izuka explained, still smiling despite her bashfulness. Katsuki smirked, happy he was able to get such a reaction from his love.

Hitoshi rolled his eyes, "Down girl. You've still got a couple more to go."

"Ah! Sorry." Izuka blushed, "Mineta isn't here now, but I still feel his link. It suits him; small and easy to overlook, but smells strongly of berries, not just grapes. The smell has changed a bit since I first made the link; it's more natural and less artificial now. Momo feels like a big rubix cube that keeps changing shape and colour… at it's core, it's always the same but the rest always changes."

"Wow… all those thoughts and feelings. No wonder your body gets stressed if you go over the limit." Momo commented.

Izuka nodded, then made her final confession; the fact she was now classified as a Non-Human Person. This had been the thing she feared to tell them the most, yet oddly, this was the thing that got the least of a reaction from her classmates.

"It's kind of not a big deal, right?" Kyoka reasoned, "I mean your appearance and personality hasn't really changed, plus our class has a lot of people with less human looks. Aoyama's belly button is a gem, Mina is pink with freaking black eyes and yellow horns, Tsuyu is a frog girl, Iida has engines in his legs, Shoji, Koda and Tokoyami all have non-human looks and even I have my long ear jacks. Don't sweat the small stuff, so long as you're the same Izuka we all love, we don't care if you're human."

Izuka smiled and went to hug Kyoka, "Thanks Kyoka, that means a lot. And since you brought it up, I like your jacks! I think they're cute."

Kaminari smirked; "Wow, a nice comment from Jiro! Today's full of surprises!"

Kyoka promptly growled and stabbed him in the head with her jacks, making him shriek like a girl while the rest of the class laughed. With nothing else to confess, Izuka returned to her seat, where Hitoshi put a hand on her shoulder. "You've got it pretty rough." he commented with a small smile.

"Maybe..." Izuka looked at her classmates, "But I think it's worth it."

Hitoshi grinned and slowly but surely, the excitement died down and attention turned back to Aizawa-sensei. "Now that we've welcomed Shinso to our class and been updated on Midoriya and her health, it is time to get started with the Dorms. Follow me; Shinso, Iida, Midoriya, you three are to walk with me. We need to talk." he instructed. The Class cheered and piled out of the classroom, running to see their new home. The three requested students fell in step with their teacher as he slowly made his way to the Dorms, clearly in no rush.

"Shinso, this is going to be rather unfair for you, but you won't be given much time to catch up. The Principal has authorised you for weekend classes, so we'll be putting you through the Quirk Apprehension Test, Battle Trial and Rescue Trial over the next few weekends. It's going to be tough, but we have a month of training to get you through. Plus, we'll need to test your Plus Ultra Mode and see what it can do. There is a week before the Work Experience Placements start, so you'll need to work very hard if you want to be included in them." Aizawa explained.

"I've got it. I'm ready for this!" Hitoshi said eagerly.

Aizawa nodded approvingly, "Good. Midoriya, I'm assigning you to Shinso as his tutor to help catch him up on the theory classes. You'll need to schedule those sessions for yourselves, but we'll be counting on you."

Izuka nodded with a smile; Hero Theory was the one non-practical class where she was smarter than Momo, who dominated her in every other academic class. "We can do some each evening. I've got lots of notes."

"Good. Now Iida..." Aizawa-sensei looked to the boy, "I've been informed you've been signed up for therapy to deal with what happened with your brother and Midoriya?"

"Yes sir." Tenya admitted ashamedly. Aizawa narrowed his eyes.

"None of that. You made your choices, don't disgrace yourself or your resolve by regretting them now. I brought it up solely to let you know that you are to treat that therapy as a school mandated activity. Take it seriously. Despite the unusual circumstances, everything surrounding the incident with your brother has stressed you, I can see it easily in your resigned expression. I argued that you shouldn't be allowed to enter the Work Experience Placements until the Therapist signed you off, but the Principal argued in your favour so I gave in. DO NOT give me reason to regret that decision, understood?" the man said sharply. Aizawa cared a lot about his students' mental health, being one of the few teachers to recognise that it can be more delicate and dangerous than their physical health, especially in hormonal teenagers. He trusted Iida… but grief and trauma can have profound effects on even the sternest mind.

Tenya bowed his head, "Of course Sensei. I apologise; I regret that such actions were necessary, but I do not regret doing them. I refused to let Izuka kill herself for the sake of my brother; I did what was necessary and what little I could for the sake of Tensei, Izuka and the people they would both save."

"Good. Keep that in mind. Now you and Shino run along. I need to talk to Midoriya alone."

Hitoshi and Tenya exchanged looks, but ultimately agreed, running on ahead (though Hitoshi groaned at having to use so much effort so early in the day.) Once they were out of earshot, Aizawa turned to Izuka.

"Midoriya, there is a fair bit I have to say to you. Firstly, like I said in class, I am not happy about you dying again, however, since you did what you did to save lives and you had already explored other options, I can't rightfully punish you; you kept your promise about not recklessly using your power and as much as I hate to say it, if I had been in your place and possessed your power, I'd have likely done the same." Aizawa confessed.

Izuka nodded; "I know you would, Aizawa-sensei. You're a hero. I like to think all heroes would do the same if they had my power."

Aizawa hummed, not really believing all heroes would. "I know that being immortal, there isn't much point in being afraid of dying, and I know you don't fear pain either, but..." the man paused, trying to find the words, "How does it feel for you? Does it distress you? Do you feel things, or is it all blank until you revive?"

"It's… oddly comforting." Izuka confessed, "I just sort of… slip away. One moment I'm alive and in pain, the next I'm in an empty black void, floating like I'm in water. The pain is gone and everything feels calm and serene, but beneath it, there's a strange tug. Whenever I'm in that void, I feel the tug and sometimes I tug back. When I was with All for One, I tugged back so desperately that the void cracked and white light began pouring in. I felt like I was drifting away, but I suddenly got scared and recoiled. When I died next, the void was back to how it was before the cracks."

Aizawa's eyes widened; "Does that mean that if you really wanted, you think you could die for good?"

Izuka nodded reluctantly. "That light was haunting. It was more terrifying than the darkness of the void. It felt like a gate that once I stepped through, it would close behind me. I've never tried tugging on the feeling again. I… I don't want to die, not for real!"

"Alright Problem Child, relax a bit." the man said, seeing Izuka was becoming distressed. It must be awful for her, to have looked directly into the light of death. He felt like he'd seen something similar when Noumu had nearly killed him; the light he'd seen had been terrifying, yet hauntingly intoxicating, like the arms of a lover he knew would never let him go. "Maybe we should change the topic. This wasn't what I really wanted to talk about anyway. I wanted to discuss what you did with Shinso, and your place in Class 1-A."

"My place? Wait, I'm not getting expelled am I!?" Izuka panicked.

"No!" Aizawa groaned, "Jeez kid, calm down! It's a good thing, trust me." This girl seriously needed a stress ball or something, Aizawa swore she was about to pop a blood vessel.

The two stopped there slow walk as Aizawa fixed Izuka with a strange look; "Midoriya, what do you think your place in Class 1-A is?"

Izuka blinked; "My place? Well I'm seat 17, and in the top 5 for each class and activity. I'm a recommendation student… Oh! I'm the Vice President!" she chirped.

"All correct, but not what I meant." Aizawa said, "Midoriya, you are the core of our class."

"The core?" Izuka looked puzzled.

"The heart, the soul, the glue keeping this motley crew together. Without meaning to, you've wormed your way into the hearts of all your classmates and brought them together. There are a lot of strong and contrasting personalities in our class, the kind of which I would normally worry over, yet you, just by being yourself, have brought them all together. Like your quirk, you have formed links that have joined them together. People like Bakugou and Koda are able to coexist because you are around, the eternal mediator keeping the peace."

Izuka blushed; "I… I don't understand. We're all friends, but I'm nothing more than that!"

"But you are, Midoriya. At least for our class, you have become a Symbol of Peace; a Uniter. The class feels strong enough to face anything because they know they have you behind them. It's the same way Heroes and the Public feel safe because they know All-Might is around to save the day. I wanted to tell you this so you understood how much your every action affects the class. You shape them with your words and direct them down different paths. For example, Bakugou and Todoroki… they're paths would be much different if they hadn't met you. All-Might, Ingenium, Endeavor… even myself; all our paths through life have been touched by you, helping us move forward when something had blocked the way." Aizawa explained; "Shinso is another example. If you hadn't convinced him to fight with hand-to-hand combat, the Admissions Board wouldn't have had enough of a grasp of his talents to promote him to the Hero Course, and your words about him galvanised the teachers and several pros into acting, which further pushed the board to accept him. Shinso has a chance to be a hero now, because of you. And then there's Mineta; without you, he'd likely have gone on with his old ways until he gave up, was expelled or killed, but your support lit a fire inside him and set him on the road to being a true hero."

Izuka gulped. She was nervous, embarrassed and scared at the implications of her Sensei's words, but beneath it all, she felt more than a little proud. "This is it for me, isn't it? The first step on my way to being Number One."

"Yes, Izuka." Aizawa smiled, switching to her first name and ruffling her hair; "By doing what came naturally, you've reached this far. But the road ahead is long and there will always be people looking to bring you down. I want you to use your new position with responsibility; your every word and action will effect your classmates, and those effects will spread out across the world. Be strong, Izuka and remember; we are all watching, and we are on your side."

"Yes Sensei!" Izuka declared, pumping her chest out proudly. The world would be watching her now; she would show them who she was, just as she did at the Sports Festival. She'd rise to the Number One, surpassing even her father and becoming an all encompassing and insurmountable Symbol of Peace.

Finally, the two caught up with the class, standing outside their new home; the dorms. Heights Alliance was the name of the Dormitories and each class in the school had their own, identical building with their class designation emblazoned on the front above the door. Each dormitory was like a small mansion and had been lavishly built and decorated. Izuka gaped at it as Mina and Sato ran over.

"Izuka, have you seen this!? It's crazy big! Talk about a school for gifted youngsters!" Mina cheered.

"Ah man, this is going to be sweet. Hey Izuka, want to help me bake a cake to celebrate the move?" Sato asked.

"Sure! This looks like a lot of fun!" Izuka grinned. She was slightly mindful of her interactions with her friends now, since Aizawa-sensei had told her how much she could effect them, but ultimately, she got this far by doing what came naturally, so Izuka opted to continue that plan.

"Come on you brats, no use loitering out here." Aizawa said, leading them into the dorm proper. "It's a class to each building. The girls will be on the right, the boys on the left. The first floor is coed space." he directed them inside and showed off the first floor, which housed a dining area, a large den complete with TV, a kitchen and a small work out space. "The Dining Area, Baths and Laundry Rooms are all down here. Naturally, the latter two are gender-segregated."

"So much space! It's all so nice too! We even have big sofas!" Mina gushed.

"Check it out, there's a courtyard too!" Sero grinned.

"Ah, it's like living at Izuka's place, but even bigger!" Ochako looked ready to faint.

Aizawa carried on, ignoring the kids reactions; "The rooms are located on the second through fifth floors." he said, showing them one of the empty ones as an example. It had a bed, air conditioning, toilet, small fridge and a fairly large closet as well as a desk. There was even a screen glass door that opened onto a veranda. "You've been assigned rooms already and your things have been sent there. Listen closely; there are no girls on the second floor, but Shinso, Aoyama and Tokoyami will be housed there. On the third floor will be Koda, Kaminari, Iida, Ojiro, Jiro and Hagakure. The fourth floor will be Shoji, Kirishima, Bakugou, Uraraka, Midoriya and Ashido. The fifth and final floor will obviously be Sato, Todoroki, Sero, Yaoyorozu and Asui." he said, showing a small room map with their names attached. "There is no way to get from the girls side to the boys without going through the first floor, and naturally, you aren't allowed in the opposite gender's side or bedrooms after curfew. Now for the time being, go get your rooms set up. I'll be back at Dinner to introduce you to the Dorm Manager."

"Yes Sensei!" everyone shouted before running to their rooms to begin the lengthy task of setting up their rooms. It took them all most of the day to unpack and arrange their rooms into the form they liked. It was already dark when everyone was finished, so they all convened in the common room and relaxed while they waited for Aizawa to return with their Dorm Manager.

"You know, the USJ was a pretty crappy situation all around, but I'm glad we can live together because of it." Kaminari smirked, sitting on the sofa arm beside Izuka.

"Ah, Community Living… this too is another trial to nurture our discipline and cooperative spirit!" Tenya proclaimed.

"So, I wonder who our Dorm Manager will be." Mina said, "I mean, we know Aizawa-sensei will be living here too, but he isn't the manager."

"Hey yeah, will they be a Pro Hero? I kind of doubt it, but they have to be someone special. U.A doesn't do anything small or easy." Kirishima commented.

Izuka suppressed a grin. Not even Kacchan knew who the Dorm Manager would be; it would be a surprise for everyone. A few minutes later, Aizawa arrived in the Common Room with All-Might and Inko, smiling to them all.

"Mama Midoriya!" Kirishima and Mina cheered, running to hug the woman.

"It's good to see you again." Tenya bowed politely, "Did you come to see Izuka?"

Inko smiled, petting the two hugging teens and nodding to Tenya; "I did, but that's not all. I came to see all of you. After all, I'll be taking care of you all from now on." she grinned.

The Class stared at her, not truly comprehending what that meant. Shoto was the first to find his voice; "Wait, does that mean that you are..."

"That's right." Aizawa smirked, "Inko Midoriya has been hired by U.A to be the Dorm Manager to Class 1-A."

"YES!" the class screamed, Izuka squealing excitedly as she hugged her mother. Hitoshi was bewildered, but it seemed to him that Izuka's mom was popular with his classmates.

"This is going to be great! Does that mean All-Might will live here too?" Ochako asked.

"I will be! I'll be sharing the Managers Apartment with my wife. We decided that to protect Izuka from the League of Villains, it would be best if I was here to protect her, and neither myself nor Izuka would ever leave her mother alone, so Nezu hired her as the Dorm Manager." Toshinori explained.

Inko smiled, "I look forward to looking after you all! Izuka has grown up so much and become so independent, I kind of miss having people to take care off! Speaking off..." she turned to Hitoshi, "You must be Shinso! I watched you fight my daughter; it was very well done! I've already met the others in Class 1-A, so any time you want, come talk to me and tell me your favourite foods. I'll be preparing Breakfast and Dinner for you all, and while I need to stick to a prescribed diet, I'd like to make your favourites from time to time."

"Uh, thanks Mrs Midoriya." Hitoshi bowed his head. It was easy to see how Izuka became the person she was.

"Okay, now I'm going to be breaking down the rules for you all!" Inko said, a tad more serious; "While I cook breakfast and dinner, you'll all be responsible for other chores, such as tidying the common area, keeping your rooms clean and occasionally helping me with grocery shopping. Curfew will be 11pm on school nights, but you can stay up as late as you want on days off. If you leave campus, you have to let me or a teacher know and tell us where you're going and when you'll be back. If plans change while you're out, then call and tell me, alright? I have the same authority as the U.A Teachers when it comes to discipline, and while I think you're all wonderful young men and women, I won't hesitate to ground you if you behave poorly! Please, if you have any trouble at all, come to me. I'm here to help you after all!"

"Yes Ma'am!" the class shouted in response. With that, Inko set about cooking dinner with some assistance from Toshinori and Shota, telling the kids to go and have fun for a bit while she cooked.

"This is going to be so awesome! With Mama Midoriya around, this place already feels like home." Mina proclaimed.

"It's very nice. Izuka, did you already know?" Tsuyu asked.

"I did, sorry. I learned about it on the day the Sports Festival was announced, but I wanted to keep it a secret so it would be a surprise." Izuka grinned.

"You people haven't lived til you've had Auntie Inko's spicy waffles. That shit is like edible gold." Katsuki said, salivating.

Hitoshi smirked; "Your mom is pretty popular. Everyone was more excited to see her than they were to see All-Might."

"Izuka's Mom is basically everyone's mom now." Kyoka explained, "The goofy guys call her Mama Midoriya, but everyone else calls her Auntie Inko, like Bakugou. She's really friendly and gives some good advice."

"Aw man, I am so hyped now!" Kirishima cheered, "I can't sit still until Dinner! What should we do?"

Mina and Ochako exchanged smirks; "How about this… why don't we have a Room Showcase!"

"Yeah! Lets start with Shinso!" Toru cheered.

"Why me?" Hitoshi frowned.

"None of us really know you yet! It'll be a good way to get some insight into you!" Mina responded, though it was obvious she was just being nosy.

Hitoshi sighed and gave in, leading the class to his room. The inside was… kind of anticlimactic really. It was a fairly normal room with a few personal photos, some fantasy books and a poster of Eraserhead on the wall over his desk. When questioned on it, Hitoshi just shrugged; "He's an Underground Hero. My quirk means I'm best suited to that too, so I look up to him."

There was also a litter tray, a scratching post and some food bowls beside his desk, though no sign of the cat that they belonged to. "I have a black cat called Oreo, 'cause his belly is white." Hitoshi explained.

"Are cats allowed?" Tenya asked.

Hitoshi shrugged; "Not sure. I asked Aizawa-sensei this morning and he just said he'd overlook it, then stuffed Oreo into his scarves and walked off. Haven't seen her since."

"Well… moving on." Ochako said, trying not to think too much about their cat-napping sensei.

Next was Tokoyami's room, and after some stiff resistance (the bird boy had to be pushed out of the way of his door by Mina and Toru) they found his room to be exactly as imagined; dark and full of spooky and occult paraphernalia, including swords and fake skulls. Somewhat out of place in the room was a fluffy grey pillow beside the bed. "That's for Dark Shadow." Tokoyami begrudgingly explained; "Since I got my Plus Ultra Mode, he sometimes likes to sleep on his own, so I got him a pillow."

"Aw, how cute." Izuka gushed.

"Huh, still think it's weird that guys like this stuff..." Mina commented.

"Oh hey, I've got this same key chain! Bought in middle school!" Kirishima said, picking up a dagger key chain. Tokoyami promptly kicked them out.

Next up was Aoyama, and no one could stay in his room for more than a few seconds. Everything was expensive and very shiny, including disco balls, a crystal chandelier and even a suit of armour! The class fled fairly quickly, fearing their eyesight would deteriorate in such a place. Aoyama seemed unperturbed. Maybe Izuka's evolution had adapted his eyes too, there was no other way he could survive in such a room.

Moving to the next floor, the group visited Ojiro's room. It was pretty boring with next to nothing interesting, so when the girls struggled to make comments, Ojiro had sulked and sent them off; "You don't have to say anything..." he moped as they left. Tenya's room was full of books, to the point where every shelf and surface had a tidy pile of books arranged on it, all meticulously arranged by topic and title. There was nothing out of the ordinary… aside from the shelves of duplicate glasses.

Annoyed by Ochako laughing at him, Tenya protested; "What's wrong with having so many glasses! I'm merely prepared for if they get broken or lost during out training!"

"Dude, Four Eyes is really a Thousand Eyes." Katsuki deadpanned to Kirishima as they watched Ochako and Mina pilfer some of the glasses, running off with them on their faces, giggling all the way.

Next was Kaminari, whose room was a gaudy mess of mismatched junk and hobby items. "Hey, this is cool!" the Electric Boy protested, "My parents always encouraged me to try everything I could, so I picked up a lot of hobbies along the way. These are all my precious memories!"

"That's nice, Kaminari, it's just a little shocking." Izuka smiled, then blushed, "er, No Pun Intended."

"Pikachu's a pack rat, who knew?" Kacchan muttered, then noticed an actual stuffed Pikachu in the corner. Since the girls had taken glasses from Iida's room, he shrugged and took the Pikachu, forcing Izuka to hold it for the rest of the tours. It was cute enough that Kaminari didn't even complain.

Koda's room was next, and to no one's surprise, it matched the quiet and soft nature of it's owner with many pictures of animals, some stuffed animals on the bed and even a real rabbit. Kyoka smirked; "Great, now there are two Izukas!"

"Not funny..." Izuka pouted, but then Koda put the rabbit beside Izuka's face and the two fluffy, adorable and innocent creatures found their expressions mirrored by the other's. Despite the laughter it brought, Izuka hugged the rabbit to her face and Koda happily allowed it and was able to stroke Izuka's hair as a joke, pretending to mistake her for his rabbit. He smiled happily; he had been right; Izuka's hair was as soft as his rabbit!

The next room was Katsuki's, and to the surprise of most of the class, he didn't look all that bothered to let them in, just threatening their lives if they made a mess. His room had several warning signs and police tape decorating the walls, and the plain desk had been replaced by a work bench full of tools and small pots of paint. On either side of the desk was a display case, showing numerous models.

"Whoa, didn't expect Bakugou to be a Model guy." Kyoka commented.

"It is odd… his quirk is so destructive, I never expected him to have a creative hobby." Momo said, examining some of the models.

"I make my own stuff. I got good at sculpting a few years back and started making my own figures. Most of these old ones are garbage, but I'm pretty fucking proud of this one." Kacchan grinned, pointing to one. It was the figure he had made of Izuka, displaying her as a thirteen year old and wearing U.A Gym clothes. In one hand, the toy Izuka had a ball of fire and in the other, she had a tiny tornado of water, and of course, her flame wings were modelled onto her back.

"K-Kacchan! I knew you made one of these for Kota, I didn't know you kept one!" Izuka protested.

"What, and give away my best piece? No chance. If any of you scrubs get good, I might be bothered to make models of you too." Katsuki smirked, before ushering everyone out. The class was still reeling from Katsuki having such an unusual skill that they barely paid attention to Kirishima and his manly room, full of fight posters, training gear and even a clock with flexing arms.

Last on the floor was Shoji, but his room contained nothing but a folded futon and a low table and cushion to sit on. "Shoji, did you forget your stuff?" Mina asked.

"I think he's a minimalist." Shoto said blandly as Shoji nodded.

"I've never cared for material possessions. I have all I need." the tentacled boy explained.

Sero's room was the first on the fifth floor and was oddly Asian themed with vibrant patterns everywhere. Sero was happy at the surprise he got from the girls, since he was the only one so far besides Bakugou to break the expected mould.

The girls were excited to see the room of the cold and aloof Shoto Todoroki, but even they weren't prepared for what they saw… it was completely Japanese! It had tatami mats, wood and paper screens and even a Japanese style light fixture. "Did this room get built differently!?" Mina yelled.

Shoto shrugged; "My house was Japanese style, so I felt more comfortable like this."

"But how'd you do it so fast!?" Kaminari demanded.

"I worked really hard." Shoto said simply.

The last boy's room was Sato's and despite it being very plain in appearance, it had a much larger fringe, a small oven and a microwave. The whole room smelled delicious. "Oh yeah." Sato opened his oven, "I was finished early, so I baked a Chiffon Cake. If it's cool with Auntie Inko, we can share it after dinner." he said, pulling out a fluffy and delicious smelling cake. Everyone salivated over it, but no matter how tempted they were, they held back. Izuka had warned them once how scary her mom could be if they spoiled their dinner.

"Hey Sato, I thought we were going to bake the cake together!" Izuka said.

"We are. This isn't the celebration cake; I made this to fill time and use up some ingredients close to spoiling. The real celebration cake will be much better!" Sato assured her.

Next up was the Girl's rooms, so they all went down to the first floor and began climbing again, this time on the right side (leaving the Chiffon Cake with Inko, lest they be tempted). Kyoka's room looked like a recording studio and was full of just about every instrument used in modern rock, from Bass Guitars, to Keyboards to a full drum kit and mixing table.

"Kyoka's a real rocker girl!" Ochako smiled, gently strumming a guitar.

"Can you play all these?" Momo asked with a warm smile. Kyoka blushed profusely and nodded.

"Just the basics."

"Huh, pretty cool. I rock on the drums." Katsuki said, playing a damn good drum solo while Kyoka stabbed Kaminari and Aoyama with her jacks for making rude comments on her lack of femininity.

Then it was Toru's room, which was a very normal and very girly room, covered in pink and stuffed animals, as well as soft and fluffy pillows. Hitoshi blinked; "Maybe I'm just not used to girls, but being in this room somehow feels like I'm doing something immoral..."

"It's okay if we invite you." Tsuyu assured him.

Mina was next and her room was full of dark, but vibrant colours and patterns and some rather psychedelic furniture, making it look like the room of a Hippy from the 60's. Kirishima certainly liked it, but compared to some of the rooms they'd seen, it was kind of normal. Ochako's was even worse; there was no real style to the room, and just had her stuff unpacked and put away without any real attempt at redecorating the place.

The final room on the floor was Izuka's and it was one most of them were curious about. All of them (sans Hitoshi) had seen her room at the Yagi-Midoriya Home, so they wondered how she'd decorate her dorm room. Truthfully, it wasn't much different, just smaller. Izuka had covered the walls in posters of heroes (mostly All-Might) and her own drawings. There was her collection of Hero Figures and the figures she got from the Gem Knight Anime and the Princess Knight collection she'd collected alongside Sir Nighteye. Her shelves were full of her analysis books and in the corner was a small easel so Izuka could do her paintings when she wanted.

"It's not much, but it's home." Izuka smiled nervously.

"Wow, it's like you condensed your old room into this one." Ochako marvelled at how closely the two rooms had been decorated.

Hitoshi whistled; "You really are a Hero Fangirl. Hey wait..." the boy picked up a photo album, flipping it open to a random page, which happened to show a ten year old Izuka running and playing with Katsuki.

"Cute!" Tsuyu declared, taking the book to look through later with the class, no matter how many adorable squeals of protest Izuka made.

Tsuyu herself was the next one to have her room showcased and was more than happy to do so. She had definitely taken the frog theme and run with it, replacing her normal bed with a water bed with a lily pad shaped blanket. The room had soft green carpets laid out and numerous pictures of Tsuyu and her Froggy family covered the walls. There was even a small goldfish bowl on the desk and a giant frog plushy than doubled as a beanbag chair.

"Frog themed and cute! You really like your quirk!" Toru declared.

The final room to be seen was Momo's, who had overestimated how much space she'd have and as a result, her room was cramped full of expensive, regal furniture and shelf upon shelf of reference books.

"Jeez Yaomomo, you went overboard." Sero said, mildly jealous of the expensive décor.

"It's just that all the furniture I'm used to is quite big. I didn't expect the rooms to be so narrow..." Momo said shyly.

"Rich Girl… well whatever. Food will be ready soon and I want go get this crap over-width. Let's go downstairs and pick a winner or some shit." Katsuki said, practically dragging most of the class downstairs in a giant katamari ball of limbs.

Once in the common room, everyone voted for room they liked best, ultimately resulting in Sato winning due to the cake he made, earning him the votes from all the girls (minus Izuka, who voted for Koda because she got to play with his rabbit). The guys complained, but before things got too heated, Aizawa-sensei had them set the table for dinner and the evening slowly gave way to relaxation. The twenty students, their two teachers and their Dorm Manager spent the evening together, enjoying a meal, playing games, watching TV and discussing the future that awaited them, with Izuka being forced to watch as her classmates looked through her photo album until she was so red faced she looked ready to pass out.

The end of the week came and went with a relaxing and fun weekend, but before long, it was Monday again and school was back in session. After the excitement of the Sports Festival and moving to the dorms, Class 1-A was almost glad to get back to their routine. They'd been given forms over the weekend to have their Hero Costumes updated and they'd be testing them this week before the Work Experience Program, but first, they had to get through Hero Informatics.

Aizawa-sensei started the class as he always did; "Today will be Hero Informatics. It's a special one too. You'll be seeing the results of your work at the Sports Festival by seeing how many offers you got from Pros. Not only that, but you'll be choosing your Hero Names."

"YES!" The class cheered. This was their chance to shine even more!

"Concerning the Work Experience Offers, they're based on who the Pros think will be ready to join them in the Hero Workforce after you graduate. You could say this is their way of showing interest in your future and implementing themselves into your origins. Some older agencies outlast their founding heroes by taking in powerful youngsters and raising them until they take over. It helps to raise the prestige of these old agencies. Of course, these offers can be revoked without the agency stating a reason if their interest in you wanes or they find another person they want more. Being picked now means you'll have to work even harder in the future to maintain their interest! Now, here are the numbers..." Aizawa pressed a button and a series of names and numbers came up.

Midoriya: 5439

Bakugou: 4245

Todoroki: 4149

Yaoyorozu: 3763

Iida: 360

Tokoyami: 356

Uraraka: 321

Shinso: 274

Aoyama: 222

Ashido: 199

Kaminari: 121

Aizawa smirked; "It's usually more spread out than this, but the top four sort of dominated this year. Incidentally, after the Ingenium Story went live, everyone who fought Midoriya suddenly got a lot more offers.

Kaminari groaned; "Aw man, if only I fought her instead of Iida, I'd be swimming in offers."

"At least some Heroes have an eye for my dazzling talent." Aoyama boasted.

"Man, the top four got crazy offers… over 5000 offers for Midoriya alone! That must be practically every agency in Japan!" Kirishima said.

"It's actually only about a third. There are over 15000 agencies in Japan, but its definitely all the ones in the prefecture! Hey Bakugou, you got a monster number too!" Sero grinned.

"Of course I did! I was a finalist and almost won!" Katsuki smirked.

Momo smiled proudly, glad so many pros had acknowledged her strength; "We did well, didn't we Todoroki?"

"We did. I'm sure some of those offers are because of my father, but I'm proud of my performance. Congratulations to you too, Yaomomo." Shoto smiled kindly. Momo grinned; that was the closest he'd come to actually using her name!

Ochako was busily shaking Tenya in happiness that they both got offers. Shinso leaned forward, "Hey Izuka, looks like your standing up for me got me a lot of attention. Thanks for that." he said, smirking despite the sincerity in his eyes.

Remembering what Aizawa had told her, Izuka shook her head; "You got that attention by yourself. You showed everyone your abilities and earned those offers. You shouldn't thank me for your own hard work." she smiled.

Aizawa brought attention back to him; "With that settled, those of you who didn't get offers will still have Work Place Experience with a series of volunteer Pros who'll take anyone. Now, you've all faced real villains and real hardship, so this kind of training may seem underwhelming, but it is definitely worthwhile. There are things we can't teach here in school, so you'll be going out into the world to work with the public."

"And that's where our Hero Names come in!" Sato cheered.

"Yeah! This is going to be fun!" Ochako added.

"These will likely only be temporary, but you should still take them seriously." Aizawa began, before he was cut off by the door slamming open.

"Or you'll have hell to pay later!" declared Midnight, walking into the room as seductively as possible, "These names can stick, leaving you with something terribly inappropriate."

As the class babbled excitedly at the arrival of the R-Rated Hero, Aizawa began to crawl into his sleeping bag; "Midnight will help you pick the names. I'm no good at this sort of thing. However..." his bored look turned serious; "These names will help focus your future. By choosing a name, you are helping to cement your image in the future, because names are capable of reflecting one's true nature. Take "All-Might" for example."

The name cards were handed out and the class began to focus on what to call themselves. Kacchan handed his card to Izuka too, since as the loser of the bet they'd made in the Sports Festival, he'd have his hero name picked by the winner. Izuka stared at the two blank cards for a few minutes, trying to decide on a name.

Phoenix… that had been the name she'd assumed she'd take for so long, but now… she'd changed. She wasn't the little Phoenix Girl she had once been; she was a whole new person now, and no matter how she stretched it; Phoenix did not send the message she wanted. Coming up blank, she leaned forward to speak to Katsuki; "Hey Kacchan. What do you want your name to say? What image do you want people to see?"

Katsuki smirked; "Power! Explosiveness! A name that a Number One could wear! But also..." he blushed a bit, "I want a name that lets everyone know that you and I are a pair. A team."

Izuka smiled softly and turned back to the cards while Katsuki chuckled to himself. "You really are a little angel, going around caring about my name. If I had won, I'd probably have picked something for you without even asking."

Izuka giggled, but without realising it, Katsuki had answered her question. She knew exactly what she wanted to be to the people; she knew exactly how she hoped to be seen. Fifteen minutes later, Midnight called an end to the thinking time and began having the class present their names.

Aoyama went first; "I am… The Shining Hero: I Cannot Stop Twinkling!"

"That's not a name, that's a sentence!"

Midnight hummed, "It'd be better if you take out the "I" and shorten the "Cannot" to "Can't" How's that?"

"It's stunning, Mademoiselle. I am the Shining Hero: Can't Stop Twinkling!" Aoyama repeated.

Mina hopped up next: "Me now! I'm the Ridley Hero: Alien Queen!"

Midnight shrieked; "Like the monster from that movie? That's awful!"

Mina pouted and looked to Izuka with pleading eyes. Izuka just blinked, unsure what she was supposed to do about it, but upon seeing everyone look to her, Izuka sighed and stood up; "Alien Queen isn't so bad… she does have a kind of cute alien look. Maybe change the tag line to something friendlier? Something that'll make you sound cool to kids and not scary?"

"Oh! How about The Extraterrestrial Hero: Alien Queen?" Mina offered.

"Actually, without the connection to that movie, it doesn't sound bad at all. Good work, Alien Queen!" Midnight gave Mina a thumbs up and secretly winked at Izuka, making the girl blush.

" _This is what it means to be the Heart of the Class I suppose..."_ Izuka thought with a pout.

Tsuyu was the next one to hop up: "I've had this thought out since Elementary School. I'm the Rainy Season Hero: Froppy."

"It's very cute! It makes me want to get to know you; Gold Star Froppy!" Midnight cheered.

The loveable Froppy inspired everyone else, making them more confident in their chosen names as they stood up to offer their names. Kirishima was the next one up: "Call me the Sturdy Hero: Red Riot!"

"I like that a lot. Could it be a homage to the Chivalrous Hero: Crimson Riot?" Midnight asked.

"Yeah! I know he's kind of before our time, but he's the kind of hero I want to be!" Kirishima explained, blushing sweetly.

"You have spirit. Bearing the name of your personal hero comes with a lot of pressure; you'll need to work hard." the teacher smiled as Kirishima pumped his fist and returned to his seat.

Izuka smiled at the boy. She remembered how when she was little, she'd come up with all kinds of homage names to All-Might, such as Super Might, Mighty Girl, Captain All-Girl Might and so on, but as she'd grown up, she'd realised that she didn't want to become a Symbol of Peace in the same fashion as All-Might. She wanted to be something more, something greater. For now, that wasn't possible, but she'd made progress, so until she reached the peak and then flew even higher, Izuka would remember her humble beginnings.

After that, several students came up in quick succession: Kyoka was the Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack. Shoji was the Tentacle Hero: Tentacole. Sero was the Taping Hero: Cellophane. Ojiro was the Martial Arts Hero: Tail Man. Sato was the Sweets Hero: Sugar Man. Kaminari was the Stun Gun Hero: Chargebolt. Toru was the Stealth Hero: Invisible Girl. Momo was the Everything Hero: Creati. Tokoyami was the Jet-Black Hero: Tsukuyomi. Koda was the Petting Hero: Anima. Lastly, Ochako was the Gravity Hero: Uravity.

This left just Shoto, Hitoshi, Tenya, Katsuki and Izuka without announced names. Izuka took notice when Shoto stood up, smiling to her as he passed, putting his name card on the lectern. "This is my name." he said, "I am the Freezer Burn Hero: Celsius."

"How creative! Celsius like the unit of temperature, right?" Midnight asked.

"Yes. It perfectly measures the points where water freezes and boils, showing both sides of my quirk. Plus, it sounds cooler than Fahrenheit, which feels more like a fire name, while I still prefer ice." Shoto explained. He had originally planned on just using his name, but he wanted to use this moment to baptise himself into a new life. His father was changing, HE was changing… from the remains of those two lives, the Hero Celsius would be born.

Tenya was the next to stand up, showing his own card; "I feared for a while that I would have to take the name Ingenium from my brother, but that didn't come to pass. However, the person that made sure that didn't happen also gave me a different idea." he smiled, nodding to Izuka. "I am the Slipstream Hero: Blue Zephyr."

"You inherited the tag-line from your mother's Hero name, right? Well done; a good choice Tenya!" Midnight praised.

Next to stand was Shinso, who walked to the front. "It's not too much, but I want to be an Underground Hero anyway, so it'll do. Call me the Mind Hero: Dark Answer."

"Ooh, that's actually a bit intimidating, but I suppose it's fine for an Underground Hero. Good work Shinso, and I'm glad to see you got promoted!" Midnight congratulated.

Finally, it was only Katsuki and Izuka left, the whole class watching them. Izuka shyly handed a name card to Katsuki, who read it for a second then smiled broadly, leaping to his feet. He marched confidently to the lectern and slammed the card down with a vicious grin; "I made a bet with Izuka that the winner of the Finals would get to pick the loser's name. Since I lost, Izuka chose this for me, and I like it! I'm the Big Bang Hero: Burst Magnus!"

"Oh man, that's a really manly name! It suits you Bakubro!" Kirishima cheered.

"Yeah, it's pretty good!" Momo smiled.

Kyoka grinned, "Out of curiosity, if you picked, what would you both be called?"

Katsuki smirked; "King Explosion Murder and Queen Inferno Murder!"

"THAT'S TERRIBLE!" the class shouted.

"Thank goodness Izuka won… you can't give a girl like her the name "Queen Inferno Murder!" she's way too nice!" Toru argued.

"Boo this man!" Kaminari yelled, though a small bang from Katsuki's palm ended that thought pretty quickly.

"Well, I can honestly say that I'd never let those names pass!" Midnight declared, "But Burst Magnus sounds good. I approve!"

"Yeah yeah, I know. Izuka, you're up!"

Izuka gulped and slowly made her way to the front, placing down her card. Even Aizawa moved from his sleeping bag to see it and joined the class in their surprised expressions. Ochako was the first to snap from her surprise. "It's… not what I expected. I like it, but I thought you'd be called Phoenix."

Izuka smiled; "So did I. Before the USJ, I was pretty much resigned to it; the Immortal Hero: Phoenix. But then things changed… I died, and learned that someone with that name could never reach the top. Dying and coming back… it always defined me, and I thought it would define me as a hero, but I realised that it didn't match my goals. I wanted to be a hero that inspired hope in everyone, that made everyone stand up and say, "We're okay now, because She's here." Defining myself by my death just didn't work, especially after I saw how much it hurt you all. Phoenix was a name given to me by villains and was how they defined me, but I chose a different path." Izuka blushed, "But you all called me something different. You called me an Angel, and just like that, it became clear to me… that's what I want to be! An Angel; someone who flies down from heaven to restore hope and peace; an eternal symbol so above the mortal world that they're an incorruptible force… so that's who I am. Magnus was the name of an Angel, so I gave Kacchan his name so we matched… but this is who I am."

Midnight grinned. "Shout it out, Midoriya!"

"Yeah! Tell us your name!" Kirishima yelled.

"We support you, Phoenix or Angel, so shout it loud!" Tenya declared. The class shouted similar words and just outside the classroom, Toshinori stood, listening in and whispering his own support.

Izuka, her heart bursting with light and love, puffed her chest out proudly, stood straight and summoned her wings. "I am the Eternal Hero: Seraphim!"

 **XOXOXOXOX**

 **IMPORTANT**

 **Izuka's Story will continue in The Eternal Hero: Seraphim**

 **Starts September 1st and new chapters will be released every Saturday at 8pm London Time afterwards!**


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